The restaurant industry abounds in rags-to-riches stories, but few of the accounts illustrate the theme as vividly as the tale of Carl Karcher, the onetime feed store worker who founded Carl’s Jr. 

In the process, he pioneered practices and policies that are still being adopted 83 years later. Ever wonder who came up with the standard fast-casual model of running orders to a fast-food customer’s table, as designated by some sort of flag or table marker? Carl’s Jr. was doing it decades ago.

Indeed, Karcher’s brainchild was in many ways the precursor of fast casual, a chain that sought to differentiate itself as a notch above traditional fast-food joints. 

But that’s only a small part of the story. Karcher parlayed a $326 hot dog cart into a multi-billion-dollar empire, a history worth knowing, per se. But the twists to that account add plenty of drama and color.

This week’s edition of Restaurant Rewind traces Karcher’s rise to riches, along with the bad moves that sucked them away. It’s a cautionary tale for any business person, regardless of what trade they’re in.

Give a listen by pressing Play.