7 years, 6 months ago by Mike Moyers
"Harold" commercial from a few years back
So, what do you do when the food item you crave doesn’t appear on the menu board but you’re SURE you’ve had one of the what-evers-you’re-craving-right-now at this particular dining establishment? You must be at Hardees. And you must have a hankering for “The Harold.” 
“The Harold came from Macomb and I would say I first learned about it in around 1983,” explained Bob Daly, long time food service veteran. “It got started at the Hardees on the west side of Macomb by this farmer named Harold. He would come in every day at around 4am and order this concoction comprised of scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns all piled on top of each other. And that was The Harold. Apparently students of Western Illinois University who had been out partaking of adult beverages were in Hardees, saw Harold ordering this stuff and decided they wanted to give it a try. And The Harold just took off from there.”
And did it ever! Each year about now Hardees would sponsor a float in the local WIU Homecoming parade during which WIU students would chant “Harold, Harold, Harold!!!” It wasn’t long before The Harold not only took on a life of its own but it also managed to migrate south.
“It made its way here when WIU students from Quincy would come home for a visit; party a little too much and head to Hardees in the wee hours of the morning to get their Harold on,” continued Daly. “So, one Saturday morning I’m working the counter at the Hardees on 30th and Broadway and this kid comes up and orders a Harold. And I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. I run to the phone, call Jerry Peabody up at the Macomb store and he gives me the recipe for The Harold. Jerry also told me how to ring it into the system and bingo! We’re doing it!”
The Harold is, according to Hardees corporate, an unapproved product. Try telling that to your stomach after a night of 12 ounce curls.
But, know this: after a night of having “too much fun,” if you know where to go and know what to ask for you too can enjoy The Harold experience. Just don’t use your outside voice when placing your order.
You just never know who’s listening…..
