The Counter

The Counter is a high-end casual restaurant chain founded in 2003 in Santa Monica, California, by Jeff Weinstein. Its core proposition is a build-your-own burger experience in which customers select components from a checklist-style menu rather than choosing only from a fixed set of standardized sandwiches. The format allows guests to specify a burger base, protein, cheese, toppings, sauces, and other ingredients, with the concept described as supporting more than a million possible burger combinations. The menu also includes burgers served in bowls, extending the customization model to customers who do not want a conventional bun-based meal. The brand occupies a position between traditional full-service dining and more convenience-oriented fast-casual burger restaurants. Its restaurants have generally been characterized as mostly full-service locations, while the menu and ordering structure emphasize personal choice and made-to-order preparation. This combination of customization, premium positioning, and an interactive ordering process differentiates The Counter from mass-market hamburger chains whose offerings are primarily assembled around preset products. The brand received broader public attention after television personality Gayle King mentioned it on The Oprah Winfrey Show on February 24, 2006. It was also recognized in food and restaurant-industry coverage, including a ranking in Alan Richman's GQ feature on hamburgers worth eating and inclusion in Nation's Restaurant News coverage of notable restaurant concepts. These references helped raise the chain's visibility beyond its original Southern California base. The Counter expanded beyond the United States, with locations identified in Mexico, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and Japan. The available reference material also describes the business as having approximately 45 units at one point, although that figure is time-specific and does not establish the brand's current store count. During the 2010s, the company was also developing a related fast-casual concept called BUILT Custom Burgers. That sister concept was reported as having six U.S. locations, one in Canada, and one in Ghana as of 2016. The available material does not establish the current ownership structure, exact headquarters beyond Santa Monica, current unit count, financial performance, or present executive leadership. The Counter's identity nevertheless remains closely associated with premium, highly configurable burgers and a restaurant format built around customer-directed menu assembly.

The Counter was established in 2003 in Santa Monica, California, by Jeff Weinstein. From its beginning, the restaurant was organized around a customization-first burger model. Instead of limiting customers to a small group of predesigned hamburgers, the brand used a checklist-style ordering format that allowed diners to construct meals from a broad range of ingredients. The concept extended to both burgers with buns and burger combinations served in bowls. This model gave The Counter a distinct place in the U.S. burger market. It presented the hamburger as a premium, individually configured meal rather than solely as a standardized quick-service product. The chain has been described as high-end casual and mostly full-service, combining table-oriented restaurant service with a menu designed for personal assembly. Its stated range of possible combinations—more than one million—became a central expression of the brand's emphasis on choice. The Counter's profile increased in the mid-2000s. Gayle King mentioned the restaurant on The Oprah Winfrey Show on February 24, 2006, bringing the brand to a national television audience. The restaurant also appeared in food criticism and restaurant-industry recognition. Alan Richman's GQ list of hamburgers worth eating placed The Counter at number 15, while Nation's Restaurant News identified it among a group of notable restaurant concepts in coverage connected with its list of hot concepts. The brand subsequently developed an international footprint. Reference material identifies operations in the United States, Mexico, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and Japan. At one point, the chain was reported to have 45 units, although this is a historical count rather than a confirmed current figure. The available source does not provide a complete chronology of openings, closures, franchising arrangements, or market entry dates. During the 2010s, the company also pursued a related format called BUILT Custom Burgers. BUILT was described as a fast-casual sister concept intended to complement The Counter's more traditional high-end casual model. In 2016, the sister concept was reported to have six locations in the United States, one in Canada, and one in Ghana. The available material does not establish whether all of those locations remain open or how the relationship between the two concepts has since evolved. The Counter's current ownership, leadership, financial condition, exact store count, and official web address are not established by the supplied reference material. Its documented historical identity is that of a Santa Monica-founded restaurant brand whose principal innovation was applying extensive customization and premium positioning to the burger category.

• 2016

  BUILT Custom Burgers is reported as an expanding sister concept

  [1]The Counteren.wikipedia.org

  The related fast-casual BUILT Custom Burgers concept is reported with six U.S. locations, one Canadian location, and one Ghanaian location.

• 2006

  National television exposure

  [1]The Counteren.wikipedia.org

  Gayle King mentions The Counter on The Oprah Winfrey Show on February 24, increasing the brand's public visibility.

• 2005

  Recognized by Nation's Restaurant News

  [1]The Counteren.wikipedia.org

  Nation's Restaurant News includes The Counter among notable restaurant concepts in its coverage of hot concepts.

• 2003

  The Counter is founded in Santa Monica

  [1]The Counteren.wikipedia.org

  Jeff Weinstein establishes The Counter in Santa Monica, California, introducing the brand's customizable gourmet-burger restaurant concept.

• Included in a GQ hamburger ranking

  [1]The Counteren.wikipedia.org

  The Counter is placed at number 15 in Alan Richman's GQ feature on hamburgers considered worth eating before death.

High-end casual, made-to-order burger dining centered on extensive customer customization.

• Restaurant menu · 2003

  Custom gourmet burgers

  The Counter's signature product is a made-to-order gourmet burger assembled according to the customer's selections. The checklist-style menu allows diners to choose among different burger components, including the base, cheese, toppings, sauces, and other additions. The brand presents the format as capable of producing more than a million possible combinations, making individual configuration the central product experience rather than a secondary option.

• Restaurant menu

  Burgers in a bowl

  The brand's customization system also supports burger combinations served in bowls. This format preserves the selectable protein, toppings, cheese, and sauce structure while avoiding a conventional bun. It broadens the core burger proposition to customers seeking a different presentation or meal format.

• Sister restaurant concept

  BUILT Custom Burgers

  BUILT Custom Burgers was developed as a fast-casual sister concept to The Counter. It used the broader custom-burger positioning in a format intended to be more convenience-oriented than The Counter's mostly full-service restaurants. Historical reference material reported six U.S. locations, one in Canada, and one in Ghana in 2016; current status and ownership details are not established.

1. 1The Counteren.wikipedia.org