Habit Burger Grill opening in new Santa Clara center; Mountain View is next

The Bay Area’s newest Habit Burger Grill is opening in one of Silicon Valley’s emerging centers.

Look for the chain’s fresh, never frozen, Charburger patties to hit the grill next week at the new Mission Park Marketplace, a retail and hotel complex in the city of Santa Clara’s northern tech corridor.

The restaurant will open officially Wednesday, Nov. 16, with a menu that also features tenderloin steak, ahi tuna, grilled marinated chicken and crispy chicken sandwiches; Caesar, Cobb and BBQ chicken salads; and side dishes that include tempura green beans, onion rings and sweet potato fries.

But loyalty club members get a chance to eat for free ahead of the opening. A total of 1,200 free, preopening meals will be offered this Saturday, Monday and Tuesday to CharClub loyalty members who sign up for VIP invites at www.habitburger.com/santaclara. The first 200 guests at 11:30 a.m. and at 5 p.m. on each of those days will receive a meal from one of the pre-set menus.

The Habit chain, which was founded in Santa Barbara in 1969, has expanded to 245 restaurants throughout California, with additional locations in 13 other states. This is the second location for Santa Clara; the other is at 2000 El Camino Real. Among the recent openings were San Rafael in August of this year and Watsonville in October.

Coming in early 2023 will be a Habit for Mountain View at 1040 Grant Road, near Nob Hill Foods and 99 Ranch Market.