In-N-Out loses best fast food burger title to surprising nationwide chain

In-N-Out is often thought of by Californians arsenic nan champion accelerated nutrient burger successful nan US, but according to a caller ranking by USA Today, different California concatenation has it beat.

The evident champion of grab-and-go burgers is The Habit Burger Grill, which has 380 restaurants based chiefly connected nan West Coast pinch a smattering of locations connected nan East Coast.

The Habit's Double Char burger came successful astatine number one, topping nan runner-up Double Double from In-N-Out.

The Double Char comes pinch 2 heavy beef patties, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles and a toasted bun.

BurgerFi's BBQ Rodeo Burger clinched 3rd place, while burgers from Jack successful nan Box and Five Guys rounded retired nan apical 5 connected USAToday's list.

Further down connected nan apical 10 came burgers from Texas-favorite Whataburger, Burger King, Carl's Jr. and White Castle.

Originally known arsenic nan Hamburger Habit, The Habit opened its first edifice successful 1969 successful Santa Ana, which is simply a small complete 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

It group itself isolated from different chains by advertizing really it grilled patties complete an unfastened occurrence alternatively of a level apical griddle, giving their burgers a much home-made taste.

'We're each astir cooked-to-order food, chargrilling complete an unfastened occurrence for that authentic, steaming spirit our fans love. It's not conscionable astir nan taste, though. It's astir nan full experience,' Jason Triail, The Habit's head of culinary innovation, told SFGate. 

In 1976, Brent Reichard worked astatine nan original Habit Burger astatine property 16, and 4 years later, he bought nan edifice pinch nan thief of his relative Bruce, according to nan Santa Barbara Independent.

The 2 brothers ran nan increasing number of restaurants decades until Yum! Brands acquired The Habit successful March 2020. The Reichards sold nan remaining 8 restaurants to Yum successful December 2021.

Yum besides owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

Younger than In-N-Out by complete 20 years, The Habit still has immoderate catching up to do pinch its competitor successful position of its beingness footprint and sales.

Although In-N-Out is almost wholly concentrated connected nan West Coast, it still has astir 400 locations, astir 20 much than The Habit.

In-N-Out besides boasted astir $1.8 cardinal successful income successful 2022, according to an estimate by Restaurant Business. 

The Habit recorded $661 cardinal successful strategy income complete nan aforesaid clip period, representing nan smallest conception of its genitor company's gross sources.