A California burger chain with a serious thing for chargrilled patties has quietly slipped into Jacksonville and is already multiplying. Habit Burger & Grill opened its first local restaurant last fall and added a second spot in late January, local outlets report. A third location in North Jacksonville is already in permitting, a sign the chain is not just testing the waters but staking out territory on the First Coast.
The expansion recently got the lifestyle-show treatment on River City Live, which framed the rollout as a West Coast import landing in town, as reported by News4JAX. The segment notes that Habit now has two local restaurants and plays up the brand’s chargrilled burgers, salads and handspun shakes. Anchors also pointed out that the chain fills a gap for nearby fans who previously had to drive out of market to get their Habit fix.
Where To Find Them
The first local Habit opened at 13559 Beach Blvd in October, according to Jacksonville Today. A second restaurant followed at 9171 Baymeadows Road in late January, per the Jax Daily Record.
Both locations took over existing fast-food pads. The Beach Boulevard restaurant replaced a Bojangles, and the Baymeadows site moved into a remodeled Arby’s. With those conversions in place, Habit is planning a ground-up third location in North Jacksonville as it pushes harder into the East Coast market.
Menu And Community Response
Habit leans into its chargrill identity, with local coverage highlighting the Double Charburger, teriyaki options, salads and the chain’s Tempura Green Beans, along with handspun shakes. Kim Higgins, a Habit marketing manager, told reporters the brand has been “welcomed in the community” and has done outreach with local schools, as detailed by What Now.
Managers have been leaning on promotions and mobile ordering to manage busy opening days and to get staff up to speed during the rollout, according to that reporting. The strategy aims to keep lines moving even as curious locals pile in to see what the West Coast fuss is about.
Third Site, Permits And Timeline
City permit records show the planned North Jacksonville restaurant at 15022 Max Leggett Parkway was cleared for site work in January, with WFO Construction listed as the contractor on an approximately $1.4 million buildout, according to the Jax Daily Record. Permitting documents cited by the paper describe a roughly 1,957 square foot building with a single drive-thru lane and limited indoor seating.
Those details suggest the Max Leggett project will be a compact, built-from-scratch prototype, rather than another conversion like the first two Jacksonville locations.
Why It Matters
Habit began in Santa Barbara in 1969 and joined Yum! Brands in 2020, according to the company’s press materials. Company releases note that the brand has grown into a national footprint, approaching roughly 380 to 390 restaurants, as it continues its eastward expansion.
For Jacksonville diners, that translates to one more fast-casual player in an already crowded field, and a familiar West Coast burger playbook now running in the First Coast market.
