The Habit Burger & Grill is having a little fun with In-N-Out Burger and recent news coverage of its Tennessee expansion.

Last month, The Habit recently outscored In-N-Out in THE USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

The Habit took first place Best Fast Casual Restaurant; Best Fast Food Burger for its Double Char; and Best Fast Food Side, for its Tempura Green Beans.

In-N-Out’s Double Double ranked fourth in the burger popularity contest.

Last October’s burger rankings in a USA Today contest were No. 1 for the Double Char, No. 2 for the Double Double

To celebrate the repeat, The Habit took out a billboard at In-N-Out’s high-profile drive-thru near Los Angeles International Airport. It reads, “Congrats on #2 In-N-Out,” with #2 X’d out and replaced with “#4.”

“We congratulated In-N-Out on being #2 last year with a billboard,” said Jack Hinchliffe, chief marketing officer at Habit Burger & Grill, in a news release. “This year, we were going to send a gift but couldn’t afford the postage to Tennessee, so we saved a few bucks and reused the same billboard. We just had to swap out the 2 for a 4.”

USA’s 10Best did separate contests for fast casual and fast food restaurants. San Diego-based Qdoba was No. 2 in the fast casual list, and Newport Beach-based Chipotle Mexican Grill was No. 6. Three Southern California chains made the fast food list. Del Taco, Jack In the Box and Taco Bell were No. 1, No. 2 and No. 7.

USA Today 10Best’s contests are not scientific polls. A panel of experts selects nominees and then the general public gets a chance to vote on them, according to its website.

ALSO SEE: In-N-Out Burger leads a Yelp list of top burger chains

For now, both The Habit and In-N-Out have their headquarters in Irvine, about a 7-mile drive apart. But in February, In-N-Out announced its intention to pull out of its Irvine offices by 2029 and relocate in its original hometown Baldwin Park, as well as opening an eastern hub in suburban Nashville. Last month, Lynsi Snyder, In-N-Out’s owner and president, announced her intention to move to Tennessee in a podcast.

After the podcast, she clarified that In-N-Out remains devoted to California.

Her comments made headlines and raised speculation about the future of the chain in California and what the move might say about California’s business climate.

ALSO SEE: In-N-Out debate: Which is better for families, California or Tennessee?

Information: habitburger.com