When it comes to great fast-food burger joints in California, In-N-Out Burger probably comes
to mind first. But there is a lesser-known chain in Cali that has been garnering quite
a bit of praise from burger-lovers. So we’re here to give you the Top 10 Habit Burger Grill
Facts You Didn't Know.
The Highest Rated Fast Food Burger Out There Ever practiced your Oscar speech in the mirror?
Well, when it comes to the fast-food industry, just about every burger joint owner has probably
practiced their “best fast-food burger” speech in the mirror. And the award goes to…
The Habit Burger Grill! That’s right, back in 2014 when the chain was rarely found outside
of California state lines, iconic rating publication Consumer Grill named the fast-food chain the
best fast-food burger, period. The magazine survey asked people to rate fast-food burgers
on a scale of 1-10. The Habit Burger Grill got a rating of 8.1, securing them the top
spot! As far as the competition... well, In-N-Out received a rating of 8.0 and Five Guys was
given an overall rating of 7.9. It’s honestly an impressive win, especially considering
that the Habit Burger Grill only had about 100 locations at the time. And for those of
you wondering… Burger King scored 6.6 on that survey, and McDonald’s landed in the
last place with an embarrassingly low score of 2.3 - poor Ronald.
Yum! Is The New Boss
Yum! Brands is one of the biggest players in the fast-food world. The company, based
in Louisville, Kentucky, owns a number of the largest and best-known chains around,
including KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. And now they also own The Habit Burger Grill!
The purchase was finalized in 2020 for around $375 million dollars. Not only was it the
first “fast-casual” chain in the Yum! Portfolio, but it is also one of the smallest
ones. At the time of purchase, there were fewer than 300 Habit Burger Grill locations
around the world. And, Yum! is no stranger to growing their various chains and properties.
Looking at just their three core restaurants, Yum! has over 50,000 locations in more than
150 countries, and they are opening an average of nine new restaurants every single day across
the planet. This expansion of fast-food restos is great news for all of us non-Californians
who might not have a Habit location nearby. Golden Cridges Galore!
What are cridges? To put it simply, the word is an mix of “crispy” and “edges.”
Hence, “Cridges.” But more specifically, what are they really? Well, in the words of
The Habit Burger Grill executive chef Adam Baird, “Cridges...are these golden crispy
bits that you get in every bite” of the chain’s new Crispy Chicken Sandwich. (Ummm,
hello deliciousness!) It’s almost expected these days that a fast-food burger place will
also have a chicken option on the menu. And The Habit Burger Grill now has two for you
to try. There’s the new chicken sandwich, and they have also made Crispy Chicken Bites
a permanent menu item. According to The Grill, when they first tested the Crispy Chicken
Bites as a limited time offer, they were sold out within two weeks. 2 weeks! This proved
to the company that it absolutely had to make Crispy Chicken Bites a permanent menu item.
Meanwhile, the chicken sandwich is served up on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato,
pickle, and mayo. Even though the restaurant might have “burger” in their name, we
gotta admit that all this talk of “cridges” and crispy chicken has our mouths watering.
It’s All About The Char! If you’ve ever been to The Habit Burger
Grill, you’ve probably noticed that all of their burgers have the word “char”
in their name. From the Charburger to the Barbeque Bacon Charburger and the Santa Barbara
Char. So, what’s that all about? Well, the “char” is because all of the restaurant's
proteins (including non-beef items like their grilled chicken and ahi tuna) are flame cooked
over charcoal. “It’s not the same without the flame,” they say. But wait! Doesn’t
Burger King do the same thing? Well, yes. However, according to The Habit Burger Grill,
there is one big difference: they only serve fresh proteins, beef, and chicken… Burger
King cooks its meals on a flame, but it's on a conveyor belt. The Habit Burger Grill’s
offerings are chargrilled with briquettes. It definitely seems like a lot more work,
but given how beloved their burgers are and how high they rank on top-burger lists, it
would appear that the extra work and care is well worth it. So, go get your “Char”
on! The Not-So-Secret Menu
You always hear about fast food joints having secret menus, and it’s not always true.
But, The Habit Burger Grill actually did have one. However, that all changed around 2012
when The Habit let the secret out and told the world that they were moving some items
out of the shadows and onto the actual permanent menu. Sure, those of you who knew about the
secret items probably were a little upset that you couldn’t impress your friends with
your clandestine orders anymore, but for the rest of us who had no idea about those items,
it was welcome news! The two biggest not-so-secret-anymore items were the Santa Barbara Char and the
Half and Half. The Santa Barbara Char is their double cheeseburger with avocado on grilled
sourdough. That sounds amazing, and we bet a lot of people were shocked to learn that
that was something they could have been asking for the whole time. The Half and Half is an
order of half fries and half onion rings - another amazing selection for those that never knew
it was even an option. The chain also revealed one final secret that maybe not everyone knew…
You can always create your own personalized item by asking for any addition or substitution
you desire—kind of like your own personal secret menu. It’s great to have options!
Not Your Typical Fast-Food Burger Joint Can you get an Ahi Tuna sandwich at McDonald’s?
We didn’t think so. Well, you can get one at The Habit Burger Grill! Can you get tempura
green beans at Wendy’s? No? Well, at The Habit Burger Grill, you can! For those unfamiliar
with The Grill, those are just two examples of how they stand out in the overcrowded burger
world. If you want something different from your run-of-the-mill burger, the Habit Burger
Grill is still a great option as about 40% of the menu is not hamburgers. Besides the
two already mentioned, you are definitely going to want to try their Tri-Tip. These
are sandwiches made with a delicious Tri-tip cut of steak. And for all you vegetarians
out there, they have also announced that they too are getting into the super popular plant-based
burger game via a partnership with Impossible Foods. And can you think of another burger
chain that offers its customers a complimentary pepper bar? We sure can’t. That’s right,
go ahead and self-serve yourself hot sauces, Jalapenos, banana peppers, as well as lemons
and limes. At most fast-food joints, we are super excited when we see self-serve ketchup,
mayonnaise, and mustard, let alone hot peppers, sauces, and more. Your typical fast-food burger
joint? We think not! Kinda-Sorta All In The
It would seem as though The Habit Burger Grill is keeping’ it in the family. Well, sort
of. While the chain has been sold a couple of times, most recently to Yum! Brands, the
original locations in Santa Barbara, California, have never been part of those deals and have
remained, to this day, family-owned. These 8 Santa Barbara locations continue to remain
independent of any big corporate overlord and are still able to do things on their own.
Using cash borrowed from mom, Brent Reichard and his brother Bruce purchased the original
Hamburger Habit location back in 1980. The Reichard brothers are the ones responsible
for growing the chain into what it is today. And as Brent told The Santa Barbara Independent
after the huge Yum! Deal, they remain committed as a local family business to their original
motto, 'There is no substitute for quality.’ Moving forward, it will be interesting to
see what changes Yum! implements and how those changes are, or aren’t, put in place at
those Santa Barbara locations. Committed to Freshness**
Fast-food doesn’t usually mean fresh. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be. One
of the first things the Reichard brothers did when they purchased the first original
location was focus on freshness, something not all fast-food joints can do (or possibly
even try to do). It was basically the number one priority for Habit Burger Grill. (So,
they do take their motto on quality seriously!) They started getting their hamburger buns
from a local bakery, and they made sure to use fresh California lettuce and tomatoes.
They also ensure to get South Pacific-sourced line-caught Ahi Tuna for their sandwiches.
Going fresh was obviously easier when there was only one location, but the company has
done as much as it can to maintain that freshness even as they have expanded across numerous
states. The French fries they use are previously frozen, but that’s the only thing on the
menu that is. Everything else is as fresh as it can be. They even hand-cut their tuna,
tri-tip, and the lettuce for their salads. What about their burgers, you ask? Good question.
The ground beef is filler, additive and preservative-free. Which is what you definitely want if you are
going to make these Habit Burger Grill burgers a habit. (See what we did there?)
Only In 14 Lucky States
Until the 2000s, The Habit Burger Grill was a California-only burger chain. They had expanded
beyond their initial sunny Santa Barbara home, but they had yet to cross state lines. Before
Yum! Brands bought them; they were first purchased by KarpReilly investment group in 2007, which
led to their first expansion beyond the state of California. From 2007 to 2014, the number
of locations grew almost 4-fold, reaching 109 outlets. And things haven’t slowed down
since. In the last seven years, they have gone from those 109 locations to their current
tally of 316. And they can now be found in 14 states across the country: they now cross
the U.S. from West to East. However, they are still primarily a west coast restaurant,
with the majority of their restos residing there. How do their overall numbers compare
to the competition? Well, compared to the big guys (McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s),
they are like a bug on the windshield as far as size is concerned. However, their most
direct competitor might be the uber-popular, and also Cali-centric In-N-Out Burger (And,
those numbers are much closer). In-N-Out has 358 locations, but they are only found in
six states. Those 14 states with Habit Burger Grill sure are lucky, and if the company keeps
up their expansion. soon maybe all of us will be just as lucky.
Other Places To Get Your Char On
So, if you happen to be in one of the 14 states which have a Habit Burger Grill location,
then you can stop into one and enjoy a delicious burger. But what if you aren’t in one of
those states? Well, you can always take a road trip to get your Char on. But, what if
you’re in a different country altogether and driving isn’t an option? We still got
you! (Well, depending on where you are, of course.) Let's say you’re in Dubai, for
example. Good news! They have a Habit Burger location there! The chain started expanding
internationally a few years back, and their first stop was Dubai in 2016. And the company
isn’t stopping there as they have plans to open restaurants in Cambodia, South Korea,
and many different places in the near future. Also, back in the US, you don’t always have
to go to one of their restaurants to get a burger, as the burger may be coming to you
instead. Food Trucks are the hippest thing these days, and The Habit Burger Grill has
gone and got themselves a growing fleet of food trucks, equipped with stainless steel
char broilers. They currently have about 10 trucks on the road in California, and if they
continue to do well, we don’t doubt there will be more to come.
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