Exhibit 5.1
                                  -----------


                                                     July 27, 2001



Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
14255 49/th/ Street North, Bldg. 1
Clearwater, FL 33762

Attention:    William P. Foley, II
              Chairman of the Board

Gentlemen:

As Corporate Counsel to Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), and having acted in such capacity in the
preparation and filing of the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-4
(Registration No. 333-81295) with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC")
pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the General Rules and
Regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder for the registration of 798,281
shares ("Shares") of the common stock, par value $.001 per share, of the
Company.  Shares are to be issued upon exercise of the 798,281 warrants that
were issued as replacements for existing Rally's Hamburgers warrants in
connection with the merger of Rally's Hamburgers, Inc. and Checkers Drive-In
Restaurants, Inc. The remaining Shares were issued at the rate of 1.99 Shares
for every share of Rally's surrendered in connection with the merger.

In connection with this opinion, I have examined and have relied upon such
documents, records, certificates, statements and instruments necessary and
appropriate to render the opinion herein set forth.

Based on the foregoing, it is my opinion that the Company's Shares, when and if
issued and sold in the manner set forth in the registration statement, will be
legally and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

To the extent that laws other than the laws of the State of Florida, the
corporate law of the State of Delaware and Federal laws are applicable to any of
the transactions, agreements or instruments referred to herein, I express no
opinion on such laws.

I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the
Registration Statement, and using my name in the prospectus in Item 10.

Yours,

/s/ Brian R. Doster

Brian R. Doster
Vice President, Corporate Counsel and Secretary