The Habit Joins That Old 'Is A Burger A Sandwich' Debate A Little Late
A California location of The Habit Burger Grill has temporarily changed its name to The Habit Sandwich Grill after a petition unveiled how patrons feel about one of the restaurant chain's menu items called the Santa Barbara Char, per a press release sent to Mashed. With two beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, caramelized onions, tomatoes, avocado, pickles, and mayonnaise, the menu item sounds like a burger. Alas, its ingredients are stuffed between two slices of sourdough bread, causing some fans to call it a sandwich instead. According to the restaurant, which now has over 370 locations in 14 states, the 10-year-old Santa Barbara Char has always been deemed a burger.
To spark up a debate, though, burger connoisseur @samburgerrodriguez asked her TikTok followers how they would classify the Santa Barbara Char. A quick scroll through the comments section shows many arguing that it is, in fact, a burger. "Anything with a burger patty is a burger," one TikToker writes. As for the original poster? "I think burgers have buns," she declares. Regardless of what social media has to say, one store wittingly changed its name after the public fought for the Santa Barbara Char's rebranding.
There's still time to make your voice heard
To settle the debate once and for all, The Habit's general manager for its food trucks, Kassandra McCalister, gathered signatures to reclassify the Santa Barbara Char as a sandwich. According to the press release, this employee's weeks-long efforts were successful. After the names on the petition were counted, the chain's CMO Jack Hinchliffe took to a podium outside the Glendale, California, restaurant to unveil the site's new yet temporary name, complete with a ribbon cutting. "The numbers don't lie," Hinchliffe said. It's official – a burger is, indeed, a sandwich. The now rebranded location, The Habit Sandwich Grill, shared a video of the celebrations on TikTok. In the clip, you can see the newly placed sign as well as window postings encouraging fans to vote. Inside the restaurant, cards on each table informed customers of the competition.
@habitburgergrill Big news from The Habit Burger Grill in Glendale! In a shocking unveiling, they've temporarily become "The Habit Sandwich Grill" amidst a fiery debate about whether the popular Santa Barbara Char is a sandwich or a burger. 🥪🍔 To officially cast your vote, use the hashtags #HabitTeamSandwich or #HabitTeamBurger or visit habitburger.com/sbc/. Voting is open until Oct. 31! #thehabitburgergrill #thehabit #habitburger #santabarbarachar #SBC #votenow #itsinyourhands #chooseyourside
If you're not satisfied with the results, you have until the end of October to make your voice heard. To participate, you can select between "burger" and "sandwich" when ordering the item online or post on social media with the hashtag #habitteamburger or #habitteamsandwich. On November 3, a live event will reveal the Santa Barbara Char's official and final status.