Habit Burger Grill to Open First Maryland Location in Rockville

ROCKVILLE, MD — The fast-casual restaurant recently named the "Best Tasting Burger" in the country out of 65 chains is opening its first Maryland location in Montgomery County.

Habit Burger Grill will open a restaurant inRockville’s Wintergreen Plaza Shopping Center, 895 Rockville Pike, on Wednesday, June 1. The venue is a 2,800 square-foot space accommodating a total of 78 guests.

The first Habit Burger Grill opened in Santa Barbara, CA, in 1969 and has since grown to more than 130 restaurants in 15 markets throughout California, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, Utah, Idaho, Washington and Virginia. The Rockville location joins Ashburn, VA, which opened in December 2015, as the first of several planned for the metropolitan Washington DC area.

About 45 new jobs have been created to staff the restaurant.

The public will get several previews of The Habit’s menu before the opening. On Friday, May 27, and Saturday, May 28, at 11:30 a.m. and at 5 p.m., the first 200 people in the door will get free Charburgers. On Tuesday, May 31, beginning at 11:30 a.m., guests can munch on free burgers plus other menu items at no cost.

Two fundraising events have been set for local non-profits. On Sunday, May 29, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., all sales will benefit Girls on the Run of Montgomery County. Later that day, from 5 to 7 p.m., all proceeds will go to the Bethesda Lacrosse Association.

The company says it stands out from other burger chains with its signature Charburger, menu variety and value. A July 2014 Consumer Reports reader survey named the Charburger the country's best burger.

Some Habit Burger Grill food facts:

• A Habit Charburger is made to order from fresh, never frozen, ground beef
• Burgers are chargrilled over an open flame for extra flavor
• Lettuce, tomatoes and onions are cut fresh daily
• Tuna steak sandwiches are made with line caught, sushi-grade tuna flown in from Fiji several times per week
• Fresh chicken breasts are hand-filleted and marinated in-house
• USDA Choice Tri-tip Steak is trimmed and marinated in-house
• Salads are fresh, made to order
• House-made ranch dressing is prepared fresh daily in the restaurants
• French fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries and tempura green beans are 100% trans-fat free, cooked in soybean oil

“We are thrilled to expand our brand and our signature Charburgers to the Maryland and the Metropolitan Washington DC market,” said Matt Hood, Chief Marketing Officer for The Habit Burger Grill. “We proudly offer only premium fresh, never-frozen burgers seasoned with our proprietary spice blend, grilled over an open flame and cooked to order.”

For more information, visit habitburger.com. The Habit is also found on social media at facebook.com/habitburger,instagram.com/habitburgergrill, twitter.com/habitburger and youtube.com/habittube.

The Habit was named the “Best Tasting Burger in America” in July 2014 in a comprehensive survey conducted by one of America’s leading consumer magazines. More information is available at www.habitburger.com.