Cook Out – A Restaurant for Tasty Burgers and Milkshakes in the Southeast

When I first moved to North Carolina in 2005, I was introduced to the concept of Cook Out. Confusion ensued when I realized this fast food joint was take-out only and focused on service through drive-thrus, often with a left-hand drive-thru. Wut wut? But over the years I learned that Cook Out was often a life-saver for a late-night meal and the Cook Out menu and Cook Out trays were pure, simple, deliciousness. Cook Out was founded in Greensboro, NC in 1989 by Morris Reaves and has over 290 locations in 10 states (NC, AL, GA, KY, MD, SC, TN, VA, WV, MS) throughout the Southeast. One of those locations happens to be a minute away from my home so I’ve curated pictures, menus, prices, and more for you to get the most out of your Cook Out order!

What makes Cook Out so awesome is its quick and polite service, along with great prices and better quality fast food eats. Their ground beef is shipped out daily, it’s never frozen which gives their burgers a homemade taste. Hours typically run from 10:30am to late-night (3am or 4am) so it’s always a good time to eat Cook Out. Most of the locations I’ve been to usually have two drive-throughs (left and right) along with a walk-up window if you’re sans vehicle. And while the majority of their locations are drive-thru only, there are a smattering of sit-down locations which allows you to enjoy your Cook Out tray with some air conditioning.

Now what to get when you visit Cook Out? Especially when you’re a newbie, your best bet is the full Cook Out tray which gives you a choice of ten different mains, ten different sides (choose 2) along with a drink for the low price of $7.39 in North Carolina. This price rivals what you can get at any large fast-food chain and I love all the options behind a Cook Out tray! Theoretically, there are over tens of thousands of combo options but by my calculations, the best and highest value (calorie) Cook Out Tray is the chicken strips with bacon wrap, chicken wrap, and either a Cheerwine or Coke float which comes to about 1,970 calories. Check out my menu below for all the details, I’ve noted limited/seasonal items with a ** and included ratings out of five stars on the food images.

Cook Out Tray Menu

Cook Out Burger Menu

Cook Out Chicken Menu

Cook Out Hot Dogs, Barbeque, Bacon, Quesadilla Menu

Cook Out Fries and Sides Menu

Cook Out Fancy Milk Shakes Menu

Cook Out Floats, Drinks, Dessert Menu

Some other Cook Out insider tips are around their secret sauces! The Cook Out Sauce is likely mayo, ketchup, mustard, and cajun spices. The Cook Out quesadilla sauce is likely a combination of sour cream, mayo, jalapeno, cumin, paprika, and more. On the milkshake front, I’ve only tried a handful but for if you want to find the best milkshake flavor, this blog is nicely done! And there are three seasonal shakes: watermelon (July-August), peppermint chip (December-January), and egg nog (December). One recent specialty Cook Out item was a Walkin’ Taco (Fritos, chili, cheese, lettuce, sour cream).

Rumor has it that Chapel Hill will be getting its first Cook Out location soon. Overall it’s really hard to beat the value and convenience of a Cook Out tray so if you’ve got a location nearby, rejoice! But take it easy if you want to still fit into your pants…