On Ventura Blvd in the LA area, one can experience two different burger concepts in a few blocks that are worth examining. One is Fat Burger. The other is Habit.

The Fat Burger unit is minimal and dated. The food is good. Once you stop in, the marketing is clear, the concept makes sense. They explain the name, that in 1952 when Fat Burger was founded that the concept of “fat” was good. It reflected the post WWII economy that arose after the “lean” times of the 30′s. For example, the term, “you’re in Fat City,” was coined. Now that I know that, I will never again wonder why Fat Burger is Fat Burger. Even if you do not know that fact, Fat Burger as a name sets up the expectation of a fat, juicy burger. But I have known of this chain for over 30 years and never stopped in before. Thirty years as an aware non-user is not a good reflection on any marketing plan.

Down the road is Habit, with arguably the best, biggest nicest burgers of any fast food restaurant ever. The name Habit sets up no expectation for me. To weaken it further, the name Habit is followed by no generic in the signage, not Habit Burgers, just Habit. And the logotype for Habit looks like it might be a Mexican concept. The official name is The Habit Burger Grill. But from the road I read only Habit.

Don’t get me wrong. Both of these companies are successful. Fat Burger has been in business for 56 years (3 years longer than McDonald’s); Habit for over 25 years. But in my opinion, each could benefit from better marketing.