Real burgers. Fake restaurant.

And hold the sex. The latest Carl's Jr. advertisement ditches the usual bumping and grinding (think Paris Hilton and the car wash) for what might be called a reality commercial. Titled "Fake Restaurant" and created by L.A.-based Mendelsohn Zien - the same shop that did all the sudsy, sultry stuff - the ad shows folks dining at a make-believe L.A. restaurant that only sells gourmet-style burgers in the $14 to $20 price range. The question: Can a Six Dollar Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s Angus burger pass for the fancier fare? The OC Register's Nancy Luna picks it up from there:

One of the diners is an accomplice hired by FriedFish Productions, a Los Angeles film company that specializes in reality TV productions. The paid accomplice lures a friend, dubbed “the mark,” to this new “boutique” burger restaurant. Menu choices are limited to a Prime Rib burger and four varieties of gourmet Angus burgers, the server tells the diners. In every case, the unsuspecting “mark” gives the burgers rave reviews.

[CUT]

Carl’s Jr. could not have asked for better, scripted reactions from the faked-out diners: “Do you see this burger dude? It’s colossal,” one man says. “This is a tasty burger,” says another. “It’s like an orgasm,” one diner says after eating a $14 Prime Rib Six Dollar burger. (That burger, by the way, is the reason for the new ad campaign. Hardee’s is now serving the prime rib burger, while Carl’s Jr. restaurants will get it next month.)

A Carl’s Jr. spokeswoman said diners were in the dark until they paid the check. Carl's parent company, CKE, plans a $20-million national ad campaign. Here's the link to the new ad (plus other features).