Puzder leaves his burger job

SAN FRANCISCO — The fast-food magnate Andrew Puzder, who last month withdrew his nomination to be President Donald Trump’s secretary of labor amid bipartisan opposition, is now giving up the top job at his restaurant company, too.

CKE Restaurants Holdings said Tuesday that Puzder, 66, was stepping down as chief executive of the company, which owns the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s chains.

He will be replaced by Jason Marker, 46, who had led the U.S. operations of KFC, a fast-food chain owned by Yum Brands.

Puzder led a turnaround of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, which were struggling amid intense competition from other burger chains when he took over in 2000.

But he was also a contentious figure in the industry, sharply criticizing minimum-wage laws and other regulations imposed on employers. Under his leadership, CKE paid millions of dollars to settle claims that it failed to pay managers fairly, and the company was accused of understaffing its restaurants and forcing employees to work through break periods.

He was also an unabashed defender of his company’s racy television commercials,.

In a statement Tuesday, Puzder offered no explanation for his stepping down.