Is Habit Burger Halal?

The Habit Burger Grill is a chargrilled burger chain. In 2020 it had more than 275 restaurants in 14 states, plus a handful abroad ^[4].

We checked the official FAQ, the menu and the nutrition and allergen page. None of them mentions halal ^[1][2][3]. We also found no listing for The Habit with any US halal certifier. With no official claim and no certifier, the honest answer is "not certified."

That does not mean every item contains something haram. It means the beef and chicken are not confirmed as halal-slaughtered, and no one has checked the kitchen against a halal standard.

Burger chains are a tricky case. Beef must come from an animal slaughtered by halal rules to be halal, and most large US chains buy from regular suppliers. A chain that does use halal beef usually says so clearly, because it is a selling point. The Habit does not.

The menu includes a BBQ Bacon Char, and bacon can be added to any Charburger ^[2]. The nutrition page lists bacon as two strips but does not give its ingredients or say what meat it is made from ^[3]. In the absence of a clear label, many Muslims treat restaurant bacon as pork unless told otherwise. Ask the store if you want to be sure.

The Habit also says its products are prepared on shared equipment in the same kitchen, and that it cannot guarantee there will be no cross-contact ^[3]. That note is written for allergies, but it also tells you that burgers, bacon and other items share grills and prep areas.

If cross-contact matters to you, this is the main reason to be careful even with meat-free items.

The Habit has a small number of international restaurants. In October 2020 it reported nine international locations, eight in China and one in Cambodia ^[4]. These are run by local franchise partners.

We found no halal statement or certificate for any of these stores. Cambodia and China both have Muslim communities, but a local franchise does not become halal by default. If you visit one, look for a certificate from a recognized local body and ask what it covers.

1. Assume the meat is not halal. Habit does not claim it is.
2. Ask about the bacon if you are thinking of meat-free items, since it shares the grill.
3. Ignore verbal claims without a certificate.
4. Read the nutrition and allergen page for the items you plan to order, and ask staff about anything it does not cover ^[3].

For halal burgers, see Holy Burger, which has branches listed by a halal certifier. For comparison with other big chains, see In-N-Out, Five Guys and Shake Shack.