# Habit Burger & Grill

> Habit Burger & Grill is a California-born fast-casual chain built around the Charburger - a beef patty cooked to order over an open flame. Founded in Santa Barbara in 1969 and now owned by Yum! Brands, it runs roughly 380 locations across 14 U.S. states and abroad, pairing chargrilled burgers with sandwiches, salads, and hand-spun shakes. In 2024 it dropped 'The' and added an ampersand to become Habit Burger & Grill, signaling that the menu is about more than burgers.

- **Founded:** 1969
- **Headquarters:** Irvine, California, United States
- **Founders:** Brent Reichard (Co-founder / Operator), Bruce Reichard (Co-founder / Operator)
- **Team size:** ~2,400 corporate/support employees (thousands more across restaurants)
- **Products:** Charburger, Santa Barbara Char, Sandwiches, salads & sides, Hand-spun shakes & frozen treats, Digital ordering & delivery
- **Notable:** Consumer Reports named the Charburger the best burger in America in 2014, scoring 8.1/10 across more than 53,000 respondents - ahead of In-N-Out., Tempura green beans ranked the top chain green-bean dish by The Daily Meal (2023)., Grew from a single Santa Barbara stand (1969) to ~380 locations across 14 states and internationally.

## Products & services

- **Charburger** — The signature product: a beef patty chargrilled to order over an open flame, served with fresh lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, pickles, and mayo on a toasted bun.
- **Santa Barbara Char** — Double chargrilled patties with avocado, caramelized onions, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo on grilled sourdough.
- **Sandwiches, salads & sides** — Chicken and specialty sandwiches, fresh salads including the Santa Barbara Cobb, plus sides like the acclaimed tempura green beans and sweet potato fries.
- **Hand-spun shakes & frozen treats** — Milkshakes and malts spun to order, the 'extras' the ampersand rebrand is built around.
- **Digital ordering & delivery** — Mobile app, online ordering platform, curbside pickup, drive-thru, indoor kiosks, and third-party delivery integrations.

## Achievements

- Consumer Reports named the Charburger the best burger in America in 2014, scoring 8.1/10 across more than 53,000 respondents - ahead of In-N-Out.
- Tempura green beans ranked the top chain green-bean dish by The Daily Meal (2023).
- Grew from a single Santa Barbara stand (1969) to ~380 locations across 14 states and internationally.
- Completed a 2014 IPO in which the stock roughly doubled on its first trading day.
- Acquired by Yum! Brands for ~$375 million in 2020, becoming its fourth global brand.

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Officially rebranded from 'The Habit Burger Grill' to 'Habit Burger & Grill,' emphasizing menu variety beyond burgers across packaging, marketing, and digital platforms.
- **2024-07** — Switched fountain drinks from Coca-Cola to Pepsi under the Yum! Brands relationship.
- **2024-11** — Continued expansion into new markets, including a planned Florida location in a former Bojangles site.
- **2026-05** — Location count reported around 388 U.S. restaurants, with California accounting for roughly 71%.

## Links

- Website: https://habitburger.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/habit-burger-and-grill
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/habitburger
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thehabitburgergrill
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/habitburger/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/habitburger/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@habitburger

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/habit-burger-grill
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13