Get free burgers at opening day of new fast-casual restaurant in Puyallup area

The Habit Burger Grill adds to its Pierce County footprint with a new restaurant in Puyallup, scheduled to open Dec. 7 at Sunrise Village.

Franchise owner AJ Jafrey also operates The Habit restaurants in Tacoma and Bonney Lake, as well as eight other Puget Sound-area locations. Only a few have a drive-thru, and Sunrise Village will be one of them.

Ahead of the official opening date, on Dec. 5 customers have a chance to snag a free Charburger, fries and soda — if you’re one of the first 200 guests at 11:30 a.m. and again at 5 p.m.

Rewards card members, known as the CharClub, get first dibs, though, with the same first-200 deal on Dec. 4.

That crew can also visit Tuesday, Dec. 6 to contribute to a fundraising campaign for Puyallup School District’s Walker High School (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) and the Mel Korum Family YMCA (5-7 p.m.). All proceeds during these time slots will benefit the designated organizations.

The Habit is known for its signature Charburgers with LTO, mayo, pickles and caramelized onions. In homage to the company’s Southern California roots — it started as a single-location, family business in 1969 — the Santa Barbara Char resembles a patty melt with bonus avocado.

More vegetarian options, compared to its peers, include Impossible burgers and the Portabella Char, plus several full-sized salads and tempura green beans. Shakes feature flavors like Coffee and Cookies & Cream.

Based in Irvine, California, The Habit had grown to 17 locations when it sold to a private equity firm in 2008. It ballooned to 82 stores by 2013, and the next year went public. Yum Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC, bought the company in 2020 for $375 million.

There are now 13 locations in Washington state and more than 300 across the U.S., plus a few in China and Cambodia, where Yum has a major foothold in the fast-food market.

In addition to the drive-thru, the 2,600-square-foot Puyallup restaurant will offer dine-in and patio seating, takeout and delivery (through DoorDash, Postmates and UberEats), plus online ordering and self-service kiosks. It will not serve alcohol.

THE HABIT BURGER GRILL - PUYALLUP

▪ Sunrise Village, 10221 156th St. E., Puyallup, habitburger.com/locations/puyallup

▪ Daily 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. (drive-thru open until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday)

▪ Details: soft-opening for VIP Dec. 4-5, general public Dec. 6, fully open Dec. 7

This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.