The Habit Burger Grill just opened in Richland.

They say that it's never work if you enjoy what you do, so here I go again reviewing burgers. After writing a review of D. Lish's Hamburgers in Spokane, someone pointed out that The Habit Burger Grill was finally open and that I should do a review of it. That was the quickest decision I've ever made in my life. I had been eagerly waiting for this place to open and the day had finally come.

A brief history lesson on Habit.

The Habit Burger Grill first opened in 1969 in Santa Barbara, California. It's a smaller chain and doesn't have nearly the pop culture recognition of other chains, such as In-N-Out, another California product. There are around 300 locations across the country with the bulk of them operating in the golden state. They're owned by the parent company of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, with the acquisition coming in the spring of 2020. Consumer Reports awarded the chain "Best Burger in America" for their Charburger.

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It's nice to have more options in town for grabbing a quick bite to eat, so Habit is a welcome addition to the Tri-Cities foodscape.

So was Habit worth the wait?

I was able to make a visit to Habit before the restaurant officially opened. When new spots open up, they typically go through a trial day for their staff to train with actual customers. I knew that it was going to be a busy parking lot but I was still blown away by the sheer eagerness of Tri-Citians ready to form a new habit.

Pete Christensen
Pete Christensen
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This was one of the biggest lines I have ever seen in my life. While we waited, an employee came up to our car and handed us vouchers for free meals for everyone in the car. Since it was a training day for the employees, everyone who came got free food. This was a very pleasant surprise as I was fully expecting to pay for my dinner. She also told us that we may get our food quicker if we went inside, so we did.

Pete Christensen
Pete Christensen
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The interior of Habit was quite large and very modern. If you can stand the Tri-Cities heat, you can also sit outside.

Pete Christensen
Pete Christensen
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Our vouchers were good for two Charburgers and one specialty burger. The Charburger, of course, is their award-winner. The food was delivered quite quickly considering how many people were ordering in the lobby and drive-thru. We were given the pagers that vibrate when your order is ready but other than that, it was very much a fast-food experience. I enjoyed my burger very much. If you like the charbroiled burgers at Burger King, you will love Habit. It's next level on that front. I will say that Habit is different from many burger chains in their assembly of the burgers. Many restaurants opt to put the tomato on top of the patty. Habit burgers have the tomatoes and lettuce under the patty, which many burger fans argue is the correct placement. Another thing I liked about my burger was how grilled the bun was. Most fast-food restaurants toast the bun until it's slightly warm but still soft. The buns at Habit are grilled until they're a little crispy on the edges. The fries are what I enjoyed most at Habit, with their thickness and perfect amount of salt.

Pete Christensen
Pete Christensen
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My wife had the Portabella Charburger, proclaiming it to be the best burger she'd ever had in her life. I think the biggest twist this burger has is the garlic aioli. It was a full-flavored burger and the few bites I had were enough to make me recommend it.

The final verdict.

The Habit Burger Grill is a great place to have something to eat while you're out shopping in the Queensgate area of Richland. It's also worth the drive if you live in another part of the Tri-Cities metro. It's not very expensive, the food is made quickly, the portions are nice, and the staff is very friendly. I like it a lot.

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