Charburger
The burger that beat everyone in that 2014 survey, and it is refreshingly simple. A beef patty cooked over an open flame, so it picks up real char, with caramelised onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo on a toasted bun. The caramelised onions are the quiet star: sweet and soft against the smoky crust. Add cheese and it becomes 570 calories.
The story
In 2014 Consumer Reports asked nearly 54,000 readers to rate the burger chains they ate at, and The Habit’s Charburger came out on top with a score of 8.1 out of 10. A regional California chain beating national giants made headlines, and the company went public later that year.
What’s inside
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Charburger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef
Zachariah's Shack Burger - Shares beef
The Mr. Smiley Burger - Shares beef
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe (Copycat) - Shares beef
Whopper (Copycat)
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Charburger.- Killer Burger · beef and cooked onions
Classic - Wimpy · beef and cooked onions
SignatureWimpy - In-N-Out Burger · beef and cooked onions
Animal Style - Big Smoke Burger · beef and cooked onions
Big Smoke
More from Habit Burger & Grill
About Habit Burger & Grill
The Habit started in 1969 as The Hamburger Habit, a small family burger stand in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, California. Brothers Brent and Bruce Reichard bought it in 1980 and grew it slowly, keeping the thing that made it work: burgers cooked over an open flame, which the chain calls Charburgers.
Around 370 locations, mostly in California and the western US, plus a handful abroad.
Not affiliated with Habit Burger & Grill. Trademarks belong to their owners.