Californians often consider In-N-Out the best fast-food burger joint in America, but according to a recent USA Today ranking, another California chain beats it.
The apparent champion of takeout burgers is The Habit Burger Grill, which has 380 restaurants located primarily on the West Coast and a few locations on the East Coast.
The Habit’s Double Char burger took the number one spot, beating out the runner-up, In-N-Out’s Double Double.
The Double Char comes with two thick beef patties, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and a toasted bun.
BurgerFi’s BBQ Rodeo Burger took third place, while burgers from Jack in the Box and Five Guys rounded out the top five. USA Today List.
Pictured: Habit Burger Grill’s Double Char burger, ranked the number one fast food burger by USA Today
Pictured: In-N-Out’s Double Double burger with a side of fries and a drink. This burger came in second place
Further down the top ten were burgers from Texas favorites Whataburger, Burger King, Carl’s Jr. and White Castle.
Originally known as Hamburger Habit, The Habit opened its first restaurant in 1969 in Santa Ana, just over 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
It set itself apart from other chains by advertising how it grilled its burgers over an open flame rather than a flat griddle, giving them a more homemade taste.
“We’re all about food that’s made to order, grilled over an open flame to achieve that authentic smoky flavor our fans love. But it’s not just about the flavor, it’s about the entire experience,” said Jason Triail, director of culinary innovation at The Habit. Gate of Saint Francis.
In 1976, Brent Reichard worked at the original Habit Burger at age 16, and four years later, he bought the restaurant with the help of his brother Bruce, according to Santa Barbara Independent.
The Habit Burger Grill was founded in 1969, with its first restaurant opening in Santa Ana. The Reichard brother later purchased the original location and developed the brand for decades until it was acquired in March 2020.
The two brothers ran the growing number of restaurants for decades until Yum! Brands acquired The Habit in March 2020. The Reichards sold the remaining eight restaurants to Yum in December 2021.
Yum also owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
Despite being 20 years younger than In-N-Out, The Habit still has a long way to go to catch up to its competitor in terms of physical presence and sales.
Although In-N-Out is almost entirely concentrated on the West Coast, it still has nearly 400 locations, about 20 more than The Habit.
In-N-Out also boasted about $1.8 billion in sales in 2022, according to an estimate from Restaurant business.
The habit Recorded $661 million in systems sales during the same period, representing the smallest segment of its parent company’s revenue streams.
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