Need a cure for the economic hangover? Try hamburgers.

That remedy has been working for The Habit, a tri-county burger chain that’s been putting more and more locations on its plate in recent years and proving that the hamburger is healthy — at least in terms of sales. As the economy has slumped, fast food has dominated the restaurant industry, and burgers are feeding its expansion.

The Habit, based in Santa Barbara, has been helping people find the beef for 40 years now. The chain has 27 branches across the state, but customers are hungry for more, and The Habit is adding eight Southern California locations in 2010.

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