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  1. Home
  2. Brands
  3. Food Service & Restaurants
  4. Habit Burger & Grill
Habit Burger & Grill logo
Food Service & Restaurants

Who Owns Habit Burger & Grill?

Habit Burger & Grill is owned by Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), which acquired the chain in March 2020 for approximately $375 million. Founded in 1969 in Santa Barbara, California, the brand was built by brothers Brent and Bruce Reichard, who purchased the original Goleta location in 1980 and expanded it into a multi-state chain. Habit Burger operates over 370 locations in the United States and international markets. The current CEO is Shannon Hennessy.

Parent Company

Yum! Brands, Inc.

Acquired

2020

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Irvine, California, United States

Habit Burger & Grill Timeline

1969

Habit Burger & Grill

Founded by Brent Reichard, Bruce Reichard

Founded
2020
Acquired by Yum! Brands, Inc.

Yum! Brands, Inc. acquired Habit Burger & Grill

Acquired
mid rangemass marketUnited StatesOfficial Website

Who Owns Habit Burger & Grill?

  • Parent Company: Yum! Brands, Inc.
  • Ownership Type: Wholly owned
  • Acquisition Year: 2020
  • Company Type: Publicly Traded
  • Stock Ticker: NYSE: YUM
BrandParent CompanyOwnership Type
Habit Burger & GrillYum! Brands, Inc.Wholly owned

History of Habit Burger & Grill

  • Founded: 1969
  • Founders: Brent Reichard, Bruce Reichard
  • Acquired by Yum! Brands, Inc.: 2020

The first Habit Burger location opened on November 15, 1969, in Santa Barbara, California, under the name The Hamburger Habit. The original restaurant was a small burger stand on Hollister Avenue in Goleta, near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus.

In 1976, a 16-year-old named Brent Reichard started working as a cook at The Hamburger Habit. Four years later, in 1980, Brent and his brother Bruce Reichard purchased the restaurant from its original owners, who were divorcing and selling the business. The Reichard brothers renamed it The Habit and began building what would become a regional chain.

For the first 16 years under Reichard ownership, The Habit remained a single location. Brent Reichard opened a second restaurant in Ventura in 1996. Over the following decade, the chain grew to 17 locations across Southern California. Brent served as CEO and Dave Nordahl as President during this expansion period.

In 2007, the Reichard brothers sold a majority interest in The Habit to KarpReilly, a private equity firm. The transaction did not include the Santa Barbara County locations, which the Reichard family continued to own and operate independently. Under KarpReilly's ownership, the chain accelerated expansion, growing from 17 to over 100 locations.

In 2014, Consumer Reports named Habit Burger's Charburger the best tasting burger in America in a comprehensive survey of national burger chains. This recognition significantly boosted the brand's national profile.

Habit Burger Grill went public in 2016, listing on Nasdaq under ticker HABT. The IPO raised capital for further expansion. By the time of the Yum! Brands acquisition in 2020, the chain had grown to approximately 280 locations across the United States.

Yum! Brands acquired Habit Burger in March 2020 for approximately $375 million, paying $14.00 per share in cash. The acquisition closed just as the COVID-19 pandemic began disrupting the restaurant industry. Under Yum! Brands ownership, Habit Burger has continued to expand, reaching over 370 locations by 2024.

In March 2022, Brent and Bruce Reichard sold their remaining eight Santa Barbara County restaurants to Yum! Brands, ending the family's 42-year direct involvement in the business they built. Brent Reichard had stepped down as CEO of the Santa Barbara operations after 25 years.

About Yum! Brands, Inc.

What does Yum! Brands own?
Yum! Brands owns four restaurant concepts: KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger & Grill. KFC is the largest with 33,897 restaurants in 149 countries. Taco Bell operates 9,030 restaurants in 38 countries. Pizza Hut operates 19,974 restaurants in 108 countries and is being sold for $2.7 billion. Habit Burger & Grill operates 384 restaurants and was acquired in 2020 for approximately $375 million. Yum China Holdings operates as a separate publicly traded company with exclusive franchise rights for KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell in mainland China.

Is Yum! Brands publicly traded?
Yes. Yum! Brands trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol YUM. The company has been publicly traded since its spin-off from PepsiCo in October 1997. Institutional investors including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street are among the largest shareholders. No individual or entity holds a controlling interest.

Who founded Yum! Brands?
Yum! Brands was created in 1997 through the spin-off of PepsiCo's restaurant division, which included KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. PepsiCo had acquired these chains between 1977 and 1986. The company was originally named Tricon Global Restaurants and was renamed Yum! Brands in January 2002. Chris Turner currently serves as CEO, having succeeded David Gibbs in October 2025.

Where is Yum! Brands headquartered?
Yum! Brands is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The company's corporate offices house executive leadership, brand strategy, technology, and shared services teams. Yum also maintains regional offices in key international markets to support its global franchise network.

What is Yum! Brands' revenue?
Yum! Brands reported FY2025 total revenue of $8.21 billion, up 9% from $7.55 billion in FY2024. Net income was $1.56 billion, up 5%. The company's FY2025 operating profit was $2.57 billion, up 7%. For Q1 2026, total revenue was $2.06 billion, up 15% year over year. Total system sales across all franchise and company-owned restaurants were $68.3 billion in FY2025.

Why is Yum! Brands selling Pizza Hut?
In November 2025, CEO Chris Turner initiated a strategic review of Pizza Hut, citing the brand's declining U.S. market share (from 22.6% in 2019 to 18.7% in 2024) and flat same-store sales. In June 2026, Yum announced agreements to sell Pizza Hut for $2.7 billion: LongRange Capital acquiring the non-China business for approximately $1.5 billion and Yum China acquiring the China business for approximately $1.2 billion. Turner stated the sale allows Yum to focus on KFC and Taco Bell, which have stronger growth trajectories.

How many people work at Yum! Brands?
Yum! Brands employs approximately 36,000 people at its corporate offices and company-owned restaurants. However, the vast majority of restaurant workers at Yum's 63,285 locations are employed by independent franchisees, not by Yum directly. The total workforce across all franchised and company-owned restaurants is substantially larger than the corporate employee count.

What is the Byte Digital Ordering Bundle?
The Byte Digital Ordering Bundle is Yum! Brands' proprietary digital ordering platform that processes orders across all four brands. In 2025, it processed more than 370 million digital transactions, representing over 60% year-over-year growth. Digital sales approached $40 billion in FY2025, approximately 60% of total system sales. The platform supports kiosks, mobile ordering, and loyalty programs across KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut locations globally.

  • Founded: 1997
  • Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
  • Company Type: Publicly Traded
  • Stock: NYSE: YUM
  • Revenue: $8.2 billion (FY2025, ended December 2025)
  • Employees: ~36,000

Visit Yum! Brands, Inc. website

View full company profile for Yum! Brands, Inc.

Where Is Habit Burger & Grill Made / Based?

  • Headquarters: Irvine, California, United States

Habit Burger & Grill Categories & Tags

BurgersFast CasualChargrilledAmerican BrandRestaurant ChainCalifornia

Habit Burger & Grill Sustainability & Ethics

Habit Burger operates within Yum! Brands' sustainability framework. Yum! Brands has set 2030 emission reduction goals across Scopes 1, 2, and 3, including energy emissions from franchisee-owned restaurants. The company reports being on track to achieve these targets.

As part of Yum! Brands' supply chain, Habit Burger sources ingredients from suppliers who meet Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification standards. In 2023, over 70% of Yum!-approved suppliers achieved GFSI certification. The company has committed to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs by 2026, with over 90% cage-free eggs sourced across 25,000 restaurants as of 2023.

Yum! Brands has endorsed the Antimicrobial Use Stewardship Principles in Poultry, supporting responsible antibiotic use practices. This commitment covers over 40% of global poultry meat production in the company's supply chain.

Habit Burger has implemented specific sustainability measures including reduced paper usage through new takeout bag designs. The brand participates in Yum! Brands' community impact programs, which have reached over 204,000 people and committed $71 million since 2020.

No independently verified sustainability certifications specific to the Habit Burger brand (such as B Corp certification or LEED certification for restaurants) have been confirmed as of August 2026.

Habit Burger & Grill Recalls & Controversies

Habit Burger has maintained a relatively clean operational record. No major food safety recalls or widespread foodborne illness outbreaks have been associated with the brand. The company participates in Yum! Brands' supplier certification programs, with over 70% of approved suppliers achieving GFSI certification in 2023.

The brand has not been specifically implicated in major labor disputes or controversies. The broader restaurant industry faces ongoing scrutiny regarding wages and working conditions, but Habit Burger has avoided the high-profile labor controversies that have affected some competitors.

In 2020, the timing of the Yum! Brands acquisition coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many restaurant chains to close dining rooms and rely on takeout and delivery. Habit Burger adapted by expanding its digital ordering and delivery capabilities. The brand did not face significant controversy related to pandemic operations.

The 2025 billboard campaign outside In-N-Out's LAX location generated media attention but was generally received as playful competitive marketing rather than a controversy. The campaign was consistent with the brand's marketing strategy of leveraging its USA Today award recognition.

Brands Owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.

KFCFood Service Restaurants

KFC

Owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.

American fast food chain specializing in fried chicken, owned by Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), with over 30,000 locations globally.

fried-chickenfast-foodquick-service
Pizza HutFood Service Restaurants

Pizza Hut

Owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.

Global pizza restaurant chain owned by Yum! Brands, founded in 1958 by Dan and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas. Over 19,000 locations in more than 100 countries, making it one of the largest pizza chains in the world.

pizzarestaurantsfast-food
Taco BellFood Service Restaurants

Taco Bell

Owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.

American fast food chain specializing in Mexican-inspired cuisine, owned by Yum! Brands with over 8,500 locations globally.

mexican-foodfast-foodquick-service
View all brands owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions About Habit Burger & Grill

Sources & Further Reading

  • Habit Burger & Grill Official Website
  • Yum! Brands Corporate Website
  • Yum! Brands Investor Relations (NYSE: YUM)
  • Yum! Brands Sustainability Report
  • USA Today 10Best Awards
  • Wikipedia: Habit Burger & Grill
  • Noozhawk: Habit Burger Co-Founder Brent Reichard
  • Edhat: Original Habit Grill Founder Sells Remaining Local Restaurants
  • Global Food Safety Initiative
  • Consumer Reports Burger Survey 2014

Competitors to Habit Burger & Grill

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

BrandParent CompanyCountryFoundedMarket PositionPrimary MarketGender Target
Shake ShackShake Shack
Shake Shack Inc
USA
2004
PremiumGlobalUnisex
Freddy's Frozen Custard & SteakburgersFreddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
Freddys Frozen Custard Steakburgers Inc
USA
2002
Mass marketUnited statesAll-ages
Jersey Mike'sJersey Mike's
Jersey Mikes Franchise Systems
USA
1956
Mass marketUnited statesAll Genders
The Habit ExpressThe Habit ExpressSister Brand
Yum Brands
USA
2021
Mass marketUnited statesAll-ages
Aussie GrillAussie Grill
Bloomin Brands
USA
2019
Mass marketGlobalAll-ages
Bonefish GrillBonefish Grill
Bloomin Brands
USA
2000
PremiumUnited statesAll Genders

Learn More About Competitors

Shake ShackFood Service Restaurants

Shake Shack

Owned by Shake Shack Inc.

American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in Angus beef burgers, crispy chicken, milkshakes, and frozen custard. Founded in 2004 in Madison Square Park, New York City. Publicly traded on NYSE under SHAK with over 659 locations system-wide across 35 countries.

burgersfast-casualrestaurants
Freddy's Frozen Custard & SteakburgersFood Service Restaurants

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Owned by Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Inc.

American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in frozen custard, steakburgers, and hot dogs.

frozen-custardsteakburgerscasual-dining
Jersey Mike'sFood Service Restaurants

Jersey Mike's

Owned by Jersey Mike's Franchise Systems, Inc.

American submarine sandwich restaurant chain founded in 1956, known for fresh ingredients and customizable sandwiches.

submarine-sandwichesquick-servicesandwiches
The Habit ExpressFood Service Restaurants

The Habit Express

Owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.

Quick-service restaurant concept developed by Yum! Brands as a streamlined version of The Habit Burger & Grill, offering chargrilled burgers in a smaller footprint format.

burgersfast-casualquick-service
Aussie GrillFood Service Restaurants

Aussie Grill

Owned by Bloomin' Brands Inc.

Fast-casual restaurant concept by Bloomin' Brands, inspired by Outback Steakhouse. Features bold flavors, sandwiches, burgers, and salads in a compact footprint suitable for food courts and small locations.

fast-casualaustralian-inspiredbar-grill
Bonefish GrillFood Service Restaurants

Bonefish Grill

Owned by Bloomin' Brands Inc.

American casual dining seafood restaurant chain owned by Bloomin' Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: BLMN), known for Bang Bang Shrimp and wood-grilled fish across 158 locations in the United States.

seafoodcasual-diningrestaurant-chain

Competitive Analysis

Market Positioning: Habit Burger & Grill competes with 6 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.

Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.

Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.

Independent Alternatives to Habit Burger & Grill

Looking for brands with different ownership structures? These similar brands are not owned by Yum! Brands, Inc., giving you alternative choices that support different corporate structures.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & SteakburgersFood Service Restaurants

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Owned by Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Inc.

American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in frozen custard, steakburgers, and hot dogs.

frozen-custardsteakburgerscasual-dining
Privately Owned

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is privately owned, unlike Habit Burger & Grill which is under a publicly traded parent company.

HootersFood Service Restaurants

Hooters

Owned by Hooters of America, LLC

American casual dining restaurant chain known for chicken wings, seafood, and casual atmosphere. Reacquired by original founding group in October 2025 following Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

casual-diningchicken-wingsseafood
Privately Owned

Hooters is privately owned, unlike Habit Burger & Grill which is under a publicly traded parent company.

TGI Friday'sFood Service Restaurants

TGI Friday's

Owned by TGI Friday's, Inc.

American casual dining restaurant chain known for its lively atmosphere, American cuisine, and bar offerings.

casual-diningamerican-cuisinebar-restaurant
Privately Owned

TGI Friday's is privately owned, unlike Habit Burger & Grill which is under a publicly traded parent company.

Nando'sFood Service Restaurants

Nando's

Owned by Nando's Group Holdings Limited

International peri-peri chicken restaurant chain founded in Johannesburg in 1987, privately owned by the Enthoven family.

peri-perigrilled-chickenrestaurant-chain
Privately Owned

Nando's is privately owned, unlike Habit Burger & Grill which is under a publicly traded parent company.

Red LobsterFood Service Restaurants

Red Lobster

Owned by RL Investor Holdings LLC

American casual seafood dining chain founded in 1968, now owned by RL Investor Holdings after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2024.

seafoodcasual-diningcheddar-bay-biscuits
Privately Owned

Red Lobster is privately owned, unlike Habit Burger & Grill which is under a publicly traded parent company.

SupermacsFood Service Restaurants

Supermacs

Owned by Unknown Company

Irish fast food restaurant chain specializing in burgers, chicken, and fish, independently owned and operating over 100 locations across Ireland.

burgersfast-foodirish
Independent

Supermacs is privately owned, unlike Habit Burger & Grill which is under a publicly traded parent company.

Yum! Brands, Inc. Stock Information

Jobs at Yum! Brands, Inc.

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Last reviewed: August 1, 2026 · Reviewed by Who Brands Editorial Team