A second Habit Burger & Grill is identified for Jacksonville, this one at or near River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville.
No plans are attached, but the St. Johns River Water Management District received a pre-application March 10 for an environmental resource permit for “Habit Burger, Max Leggett.”
While no site was identified, one possibility is an almost 0.8-acre pad site for lease next to the parking lot of BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse at 15022 Max Leggett Parkway.
BJ’s Restaurant Inc. of Huntington Beach, California, owns the site, which is at Max Leggett Parkway and Skymarks Drive. The property is east of Interstate 95.
Jacksonville Beach-based Florida Retail Group has been marketing the “surplus pad site” as available for lease, showing it can accommodate up to a 4,200-square-foot building. It is an outparcel of Parkway Shops and BJ’s Restaurant.
The size fits within Habit Burger’s dimensions.
Habit Burger & Grill, an Irvine, California-based chain, said in November it intends to open at 13559 Beach Blvd., its first Jacksonville location, in the second half of 2025.
It will open where Bojangles closed in June 2023.
Habit Burger intends to renovate the 3,875-square-foot freestanding restaurant and drive-thru on a 0.83-acre site at an estimated project cost of $750,000.
The site is at northwest Beach and Hodges boulevards.
Habit Burger did not confirm the North Jacksonville location, but said in a statement March 14 that it was "planning on opening another location in Q4 of this year."
Habit Burger said it was coming to Jacksonville because the area’s food culture is growing, with an interest in comfort foods and innovative dishes.
That is “making it a welcoming spot for a Habit Burger & Grill restaurant,” the company said in an email.
The chain has 12 locations in Florida, mainly along the east coast of South Florida with one in Clearwater on the west coast.
“We’ve got Habit Burger & Grills sprinkled across the Sunshine State, and we’re pumped to fire up the grill in Jacksonville,” said chef Jason Triail, director of Culinary Innovation at Habit Burger & Grill, in an email Nov. 7.
“Jacksonville has this amazing vibe — it’s fresh, it’s buzzing, and it’s growing fast. We can’t wait to jump into the mix and serve up our Charburgers, award-winning sides, handcrafted sandwiches, and more.”
Habit Burger said it will hire about 40 people.
TSCG Senior Vice President Kelly Pulignano is representing Habit Burger in its North Florida expansion.
Asked in November whether more sites are in consideration in Northeast Florida, Habit Burger said it does not share expansion information.
It said the Jacksonville restaurant will be owned by the company and is not a franchise. Habit Burger was acquired by Yum! Brands Inc. in 2020. Yum! Brands also owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
The Beach Boulevard property owner is shown on a building permit site as JLR Hodges Station LLC. The architect is Lingle Design Group of Lena, Illinois.
The HabitBurger.com says the company began in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969 and “has been chargrilling California’s freshest flavors for over half a century.”
It says its menu features freshly chargrilled burgers, chicken and tuna “all cooked-to-order over an open flame.”
It also has salads and shakes.
The menu shows its signature charburgers, including singles and doubles with or without cheese, a barbecue bacon and cheese burger, teriyaki burger, Impossible and portobello choices; sandwiches including chicken, ahi tuna, a veggie burger and grilled cheese; meals with fries and a drink; salads; bundles; kids’ meals; sides that include fries, sweet potato fries, crispy chicken bites, onion rings, tempura green beans; combinations, and side salads.