There are so many burger places littered throughout this city, all charging upwards of 10-15 dollars for a burger because the meat is grass fed, organic, or comes from some fantasy land that can only be accessible by white hipsters with beards. Then you have places like The Habit that do things the old school way. Or better yet, the easy way! The burgers taste great, the quality is consistent, and get this - the prices are actually cheap!
How is this possible, you might ask? Simply put, they don't feel the need to feed you the BS. Like In-N-Out, The Habit knows exactly what it's doing. There's no need to try to be all unique and "ironic" with your burger creations. Keep things simple, keep things cheap, and keep the quality high. It's an automatic recipe for success.
The Habit, despite being a fast food joint, offers burgers that are easily ranked right up there with some of the more upscale places you can find nearby. I usually opt for a single Charburger with fries, which is more than enough to fill up the average person. However, I intend to take things up a notch and try their Santa Barbara style burger during our next visit.
This is a place that offers a great no frills approach. No silly gimmicks, annoying trendy décor, or some desperate attempt to justify overpriced crap. It's simply just traditional burgers done extremely well. And judging by the business they get, I'm pretty sure that's what most people want.
On a side note, their chocolate malts are a great dessert, although I wouldn't recommend getting them until after your meal. They'll fill you up quite fast otherwise.
Does it exceed my love of In-N-Out? Not quite, but it's pretty damned close!