Habit Burger & Grill has hired a new boss from Starbucks to help it sell more burgers. Shauna McKenzie-Lee joins as chief operating officer, bringing experience running a chain that knows how to get people through doors. Her job is to make Habit feel like the best part of someone’s day.
The burger chain is betting that human connection beats cheap food at a discount. The company says its made-to-order burgers give it a big edge over rivals that have to cook ahead. Now it wants to make the service just as memorable.
The Numbers Behind the Hire
The burger category barely moved in 2025. Sales grew just 1.5% while the wider industry rose 3%, according to Technomic data. Habit’s sales were flat, but the chain ended the year with nearly 385 locations, marking a 1.6% rise over the previous year. That compares with other chains that are cutting back.
McKenzie-Lee says she was drawn to Habit because it reminds her of her decade-plus at Starbucks. She believes people still come to restaurants to gather and meet, and Habit offers an even bigger chance to do that.
What the New COO Wants to Change
McKenzie-Lee is not changing how Habit cooks its burgers. She wants to change how the restaurant treats its guests.
- Make the experience just as or more memorable than the food
- Design a restaurant where the guest gets a personalized experience
- Use technology to free up time spent on inventory
- Make tech make the staff more human, not less
She has spent her early days traveling to restaurants across the country to see how systems work and talk to staff about what is working and what is not. She also attended the chain’s District Manager Summit over the summer, a meeting that brings together field leaders, district managers, and executives to agree on company goals.
The training and execution is strong, she says. The trouble is balancing that with an increasingly digital customer who orders from their phone.
Competitors Are Closing In
Carl’s Jr. recently shifted to made-to-order burgers, led by President Iwona Alter, who was McKenzie-Lee’s predecessor at Habit. Instead of worrying, McKenzie-Lee sees that as another chance for the brand.
“The guest who is looking for a cooked-to-order, fresh meal with a memorable experience. That’s the lane we’ll continue to move in,” she said.
She says as the QSR space pushes forward, Habit has to keep pushing too with the best food and experiences.
The Plan for Growth
Habit wants to “double charge” its growth far beyond its home state of California and across the country. McKenzie-Lee says she is ready for the pace.
“One of the things that uniquely positions us is we are a challenger brand that feels good about how to accelerate,” she said. “We have a solid foundation around food execution and the energy around the guest experience is what lights me up.”
The chain is also thinking about how to use technology in the back of the house to save time. That freed-up time lets restaurants put more energy around the guest.
“We are spending time thinking about leveraging and tapping into the systems available to us,” she said. “It is table stakes to have digitized components. We are focused on the human connection, when people come in we’re making sure someone sees and acknowledges the guest—makes them feel good about their decision to visit.”
What This Means for Customers
Habit is trying to stand out in a crowded market by promising a personal touch alongside its made-to-order burgers. Whether that works depends on whether the staff can deliver on the promise.
The company plans to share more details on its “restaurant of the future” design soon, including how it will handle dine-in, drive-thru, and mobile ordering. The goal is a personalized experience no matter which channel a guest chooses.
The question is whether the human touch can compete with cheaper rivals. Wendy’s and Jack in the Box are both struggling and pulling back. Habit is betting that a personal welcome and a freshly cooked meal will justify the cost.
For now, the strategy is simple: cook the burgers to order, treat the guests like they matter, and watch the numbers grow.
Source material: “Habit Burger & Grill bets on human connection to fuel expansion,” Nation's Restaurant News.
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