A Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Alex Vesia is Habit’s latest chef in residency. His eight-week menu is called Double Play, and it takes its name from baseball’s most iconic moment: the double play.
The lineup features an eight-week menu inspired by baseball’s double play, including a burger, a salad and a shake. It is available for a limited time at participating Habit locations nationwide beginning Sept. 16.
Double Play Char
The Double Play Char is a double-patty Charburger. It has two chargrilled beef patties layered with American and white American cheese, fresh avocado, tomato, shredded lettuce, BBQ Sauce and a new proprietary sauce called Strikeout Sauce, all on a toasted brioche bun.
The Strikeout Sauce is the chain’s own creation. It has a tangy flavor and a kick from roasted jalapeño, garlic and chili peppers.
Double Play Salad
The protein-forward Double Play Salad comes next. It features two chargrilled chicken breasts over romaine and green leaf lettuce, with hickory-smoked bacon, avocado, crispy onion tanglers, tomatoes, BBQ Sauce, Strikeout Sauce and housemade ranch.
It is a big salad with a lot going on. The crispy onion tanglers add texture, and the housemade ranch ties everything together.
Double Chocolate Shake
The dessert is the Double Chocolate Shake. It is a made-to-order shake blended with brownie pieces, topped with whipped cream and more brownie pieces.
It is the kind of shake that is probably too rich for breakfast but perfect for a late-night run.
Habit’s Habit & Co. Platform
This is the second installment of the chain’s Habit & Co. platform, which launched in July. The platform invites residency chefs to bring their own creations and culinary points of view to the chain.
Vesia’s eight-week menu follows celebrity Chef Jet Tila’s Korean Street Menu.
The chain has been clear about what this program is not. When the program launched, Director of Brand Marketing Jack Lettenmair said the company “isn’t just putting someone’s name on a menu item,” but rather “inviting top-tier culturally relevant collaborators into our kitchen and giving them room to create.”
What Lettenmair Said
Lettenmair explained why Vesia chose the double play as his theme. “Baseball fans love a great double play, so Alex asked us, why not bring that same idea to the menu?” he said in a statement. “Every item doubles down on something delicious, whether it’s beef, chicken or chocolate.”
The wordplay is the whole pitch. The Charburger has two patties. The salad has two chicken breasts. The shake has brownie pieces in it twice. Each item is a two-for-one, much like a double play on the baseball field.
The timing is notable. The menu follows Jet Tila, the Korean chef who brought a street menu to the chain. Now it is a pitcher’s turn. Vesia is a Dodgers reliever, and his job is throwing hard. Now he is throwing burgers.
The Lineup Compared
| Item | Protein | Key Sauce | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Play Char | Beef | Strikeout Sauce | Burger |
| Double Play Salad | Chicken | Strikeout Sauce | Salad |
| Double Chocolate Shake | Brownie | None | Shake |
The two main items share the Strikeout Sauce, which is a deliberate choice. The burger gets it with the cheese and avocado. The salad gets it with the bacon and lettuce. The shake does not carry it.
Why This Works
The whole thing rests on the name. A double play is a single batter who hits the ball, and two players working together to get the runner out. The menu borrows that idea: two patties, two chicken breasts, two brownie layers.
Lettenmair’s quote captures it. Every item doubles down on something delicious. The Charburger doubles the beef. The salad doubles the chicken. The shake doubles the brownie.
It is a clever hook. Baseball fans will get the reference. The chain gets a limited-time reason to put Vesia’s name on the menu. And Vesia gets a chance to show a different side of himself.
The program is young, but it has already established a pattern. The chain has celebrity chefs, then a pitcher, then whoever comes next. The pattern is simple. The execution is limited.
This is a real menu from a real pitcher. It is not a PR stunt. It is a burger, a salad and a shake, and they are all on the menu for a limited time.
The chain is smart about this. It is not just a marketing gimmick. It is an actual collaboration where the chef gets to design from scratch.
That is the difference between a branded item and a residency. A branded item is a name on a label. A residency is a chef in the kitchen.
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