The hot, juicy Charburger of The Habit Burger Grill will soon be cooked up in Turlock, as the restaurant chain is the latest to add its name to the Monte Vista Crossings expansion.

Hall Equities will spearhead the development that plans to bring the 3,047 square foot Habit Burger Grill drive-thru restaurant and an 8,1000 square foot to-be-named commercial retail building to the 1.6 acre property located at 2631 W. Tuolumne Road. The two buildings are a part of Hall Equities’ Countryside at Tuolumne expansion and are right next door to Monte Vista Crossings South – a separate expansion which is home to new stores including Petco, Rack Room Shoes, rue21 and F21 Red.

“This will be the first Habit Burger Grill in Turlock,” said Hall Equities Director of Leasing Nick Zankich.

The Habit Burger Grill opened its first Modesto location last year, and Zankich said that partnering with the burger chain to bring another restaurant to the 209 was a simple decision.

“They’re a national company and they’re a proven concept,” said Zankich. “Habit Burger Grill is the best of class in terms of hamburger restaurants. They’re quick-serve and very family-oriented.”

The original Habit Burger Grill opened its doors in 1969 in Santa Barbara, and has since been known to produce the nation’s “Best Tasting Burger.” The restaurant is known for its award-winning Charburger, which features 100-percent fresh, never frozen, ground beef grilled over an open flame and topped with melted cheese, caramelized onions, mayo, pickles, fresh tomato and crisp lettuce and served on a toasted bun.

Ground will be broken on the project soon after the finalization of permits, said Zankich, which is expected to happen near the end of the year. The restaurant hopes to open to the public by late spring or early summer of 2017.

At Monte Vista Crossings South, Petco is slated to open within the next few weeks and a majority of the location’s other retailers will open by the holidays.