Habit Burger & Grill Flips the Script on Fast Food Rivals

After clinching the top spot in three of USA TODAY 10Best rankings (Best Fast-Casual Restaurant, Best Side, and for the second year in a row ranked #1 for its Double Char Burger). Habit Burger & Grill has partnered with agency of record Barrett Hofherr to build a 10-day, slow-burn, nationwide roast.

The new campaign, ‘Winning Is A Habit,’ picks up where a 2024 stunt left off when Habit and Barrett Hofherr trolled crosstown rival In-N-Out with a blunt billboard across from LAX that read, “Congrats on #2, In-N-Out.” This year, Habit used the same billboard but this time crossing out the #2 with red and updated to reflect In-N-Out’s drop to #4.

"We congratulated In-N-Out on being #2 last year with a billboard," said Jack Hinchliffe, chief marketing officer at Habit. "This year, we were going to send a gift but couldn’t afford the postage to Tennessee, so we saved a few bucks and reused the same billboard. We just had to swap out the two for a four."

Running August 6 to 15, the new campaign expands Habit’s message to competitors across all three categories. For 10 days, Habit is releasing a countdown of targeted executions, each aimed at the brand that placed in the corresponding position on the USA TODAY lists. In one video, the agency-brand duo worked up a paper crown bearing a '9' for Burger King's less-than-crowning victory; in another, Habit shows off a wrestling belt showing off its No. 1 spot, while the social copy tags Whataburger and says they made a smaller version for the competing chain for ranking 10th best. Shake Shack will receive its very own "No.7" foam finger to go with Habit's own No. 1 digit.

"We've always known the Double Char belongs at the top," said Jack. "Turns out, America agrees. As the winner for the second consecutive year, we thought we should help Shake Shack celebrate their not one, but two seventh-place finishes. Participation trophies are still trophies."

12 social videos will roll out on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, with a couple of celebrity Cameos sent as playful gifts to competitors. Meanwhile, six OOH billboards will be strategically placed near key Habit rivals. The creative had been concepted in advance, but final execution hinged on the real-time results of the USA TODAY polls, requiring razor-sharp coordination across agency, media, PR, and client teams.

The campaign will close with a digital offer, 20 percent off a $10 purchase, and the return of Habit’s ‘Gotta Habit Meal Deals,’ a promotion designed to convert attention into foot traffic and first bites.

With almost 400 locations and a growing social muscle, the brand continues to turn recognition into provocation and wins into weapons.