Out to Lunch in Pleasanton: A mother/daughter's quest for together time while exploring new places to dine

The Habit Burger Grill: For Mom, quite a thrill!

Lunch date # 29 January 11, 2012

 We had a lot going on that day and needed something relatively fast. "I haven't had a burger yet in 2013," Mom pointed out. She's been dreaming about trying The Habit Burger Grill (6770 Bernal, www.habitburger.com), and even though we said we would not go to chain-type places, we elected to make an exception. After all it is new to us in Pleasanton! I had actually already been there for a quick bite for dinner one night…but on a chilly, rainy night in December, Gary and I ended up finding the place packed and with nowhere to sit, ate our burgers in our car!

Location 3.5 points. The new shopping center on Bernal near 680 is full of new businesses and a large Safeway. Plenty of parking, but otherwise a no-frills shopping center location.

Ambiance 3 points. Not bad for a chain-style order-at-the-counter type of spot with a fairly open, airy and modern décor. It seemed clean. They do have outdoor seating and a large fire-pit, but it was a chilly day and we were happy to have a table inside. One complaint: we ordered our meal to eat there and it was served on a tray. I hate eating my meal on a cafeteria style tray, but they don't provide either little personal In-N-Out style trays, or a personal box or anything. We ended up spreading out napkins to provide a little place mat for our food. 

Menu selection 4 points. Considering it is a burger place--hence the name--they do a good job expanding the menu to include not only a nice selection of different types of burgers, but other sandwiches and salads, too. We both went for the basic burger, and since I figured I'd save the calories, I had mine without the cheese.

Service 3 points. Again, hard to judge when there really isn't any service. The attendant that took our order was quite cheerful, as was the person that handed us our trays. After we had finished, an employee cleaning the dining room offered to bring us a To-Go bag…so pretty good service overall for that type of a situation.

Food 4 points. The burgers are good, but I missed the cheese! Mine was a bit on the dry side without it. They are definitely a good size and the carmelized onions are a nice touch. We also liked the crunchy shredded lettuce which seemed fresh. The fries are nothing exciting at all-not as good as In-N-Out in our opinion, and they definitely needed some salt.

Value 4.5 points. Definitely a good deal with burgers under $3.00! Once you add the fries and drink, it goes up to about $6, but still good value for a good ol' burger.

Overall score for The Habit Burger Grill 3.7 points. We felt this place was comparable to our favorite: In-N-Out, if you can over look the fries, and maybe even a touch above considering the expanded menu selection. It is a great place to get a quick burger fix! I can see this place becoming a "habit" for Mom!