The Counter is a high-end
casual dining
Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the US, while categor ...
restaurant chain
A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...
in the United States, Mexico, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and Japan offering custom-topped gourmet burgers with over a million possible burger and burgers-in-a-bowl combinations through a checklist-style menu.
History
The Counter was founded in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, United States in 2003 by Jeff Weinstein.
Recognition
The Counter was launched into the public eye when
Gayle King mentioned it on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
'' on February 24, 2006, It has also been listed as number 15 on Alan Richman's ''The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die'' in GQ Magazine.
In the August 14, 2005 issue, Nation's Restaurant News named The Counter as one of "2008's Six Hottest Concepts."
Locations
At 45 units, The Counter is a mostly full-service, build-your-own burger concept. As of 2016, the company was also growing a fast-casual sister concept called BUILT Custom Burgers, with six locations in the US, one in Canada, and one in Ghana.
See also
*
List of hamburger restaurants
References
External links
The Counter official websiteBUILT Custom Burgers official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Counter, The
2003 establishments in California
Fast casual restaurants
Fast-food chains of the United States
Fast-food franchises
Hamburger restaurants
Restaurants established in 2003