By TR Robertson
Habit Burger will open their doors for business for the public at 10:30 am on Wednesday, December 1st, but before they do, 400 lucky people will receive a free Charburger this Monday and another 400 on Tuesday. The new Habit Burger is located across from the Food for Less Shopping Center off of Hacienda and Vista Village Drive at the 78 FWY. They will be offering 200 lucky people a free burger from 11:30 am until 1 pm on Monday, November 29th, followed by another 200 from 5 pm until 7 pm. Then on Tuesday, November 30th another 200 will get a free Charburger from 11:30 am until 1 pm followed by 200 free burgers from 5 pm until 7 pm. Both the walk-in and drive-thru portions of the restaurant will be open.
Habit Burger began as a family-owned burger restaurant on November 15, 1969, in Santa Barbara California, known then as Hamburger Habit. In 1980, the Reichard brothers, Brent and Bruce, would buy the original location in Goleta and other locations, changing the name to the Habit Burger Grill. Habit Burger is now owned by the Yum Brands corporation, which also owns Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut. There are currently 210 locations in California, 18 in San Diego County and many more in numerous other states. The Vista location is operated by District Manager Deundray Johnson and General Manager Brianna Vasquez. This location will not have an outdoor patio area but will offer indoor seating and a drive thru that can handle 21 cars in their line.
Once open, the restaurant will be open 7 days a week, 10:30 am until 10 pm for indoor service and the drive thru will stay open until 11 pm.
The various food pick-up services of Door Dash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats and others will be allowed to begin service on December 15th.
When asked what separates Habit from other burger restaurants, Johnson said, “the quality of the food, the teamwork in the restaurant, the customer service and the managements connection with their team makes them stand apart from the others”. This location currently employees 42 individuals with a starting pay of $15, depending on the position at the restaurant. Applications are still being accepted for anyone interested in working at Habit. The new employees have been going through a 5-day training process to prepare them for the opening and serving the customers in Vista.
Their motto of
“The food is worth the wait”,
goes a long way in explaining why the Habit Charburger was selected by Consumer Reports, in 2014, as the best burger of all burger restaurants.
The Habit menu begins with their burger menu with the Charburger Combo offered for $10.09. This comes with a 100% beef patty, crisp lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, mayo and pickles on a grilled bun which comes with fries and a regular drink. Cheese can be added for 80 cents. Also on the burger menu is a Double Combo for $11.39, a Teriyaki Char Combo for $10.49, a BBQ Bacon Char Combo for $11.50, a Portabella Char Combo for $11.79, and a personal favorite of mine, the Santa Barbara Char – a double with cheese and Avocado on a sourdough bun for $13.19. They also offer an Impossible Burger for 12.09. Add-ons include cheese, bacon, avocado and mushrooms. A lettuce wrap is also offered for those that do not want a bun.
For those not in the mood for burgers, Habit also has a selection of other sandwiches ranging from Grilled Chicken with BBQ or teriyaki, a Chicken Club, a Tenderloin Steak Sandwich, an Ahi Tuna Filet, a Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and a Veggie Burger.
If it’s a salad you want, it can come with grilled chicken, BBQ chicken, a Santa Barbara Cobb, a Grilled Chicken Caesar, or a simple Caesar or Garden Salad. They offer eight different dressings for the salads.
The sides offered include French fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries, tempura green beans and crispy chicken bites. For drinks, Coca Cola products are served as well as handmade strawberry limeade. For frozen treats you can choose from sundaes, shakes, and cones using Hershey’s chocolate for those wanting chocolate. For children 10 and under, Habit has a Kids Meal consisting of either a Charburger or a Grilled Chicken or Crispy Chicken Bites, applesauce or french fries and a beverage for $5.99.
Prepare to welcome a new eatery to Vista next week and stop in for a great burger.
