Cook Out

This location has fast and friendly service! Even with a complicated order, they always get it right.

This place is a bit hard to get to but once you pull in you have a choice to pull left or right of the building. if you’re the only one in the car, keep to the right as they have to give you food and you give money via the drive up window.
The menu offers quite a bit and this place isn’t overly busy so I highly recommend this joint.

This place is probably one of the least pretentious chains in the area. It definitely does not pretend or try to represent themselves as anything than what they are: cheap, good, fast food. The portions are pretty big. The lunch tray is a fantastic deal and always leaves me full (I typically get a burger cheddar style with fries and hush puppies, though if you’re hungry you can pick sides that will fill you up more, like a chicken wrap). The drinks are also huge, though they tend to go overboard with the ice, so make sure to ask for light ice.
The burgers have always piping hot and delicious. The fried chicken is a little crunchy with the breading, but not bad. If you don’t like those choices, the menu is varied enough for you to pick something else, like a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, or hot dogs.
The milkshakes are decent, nothing to write home about, but quite cheap for those summer evening munchies that might strike you.
Overall, I don’t know how anyone could hate Cook-​Out (except when there’s a line, I do not recommend going through the drive-​through as there is almost ALWAYS a giant line). I tend to park in one of the visitor parking spots in the apartments behind Cook-​Out and just walk to the take out window; don’t use the parking lot, it’s the size of a stamp and the drive-​through line and/​or street traffic sometimes prevents you from leaving. There can sometimes be a line there during lunch time, but it’s not usual to wait a long time. The service can sometimes be flaky because they’ve hired someone new, but they’ve always been polite to me.
Bottom line: great cheap food, don’t expect anything more than that and you will leave happy.

It’s fast food so it is what it is. Good deal and a Cookout Tray meal could easily be split between two people. Today I got a hot dog (my weakness) with chili, onions, slaw and mustard and asked for less toppings as I was eating while driving and didn’t feel like wearing it. First she said it was $ 2.79 and when I told her it wasn’t she said it was $ 1.98. I have no clue what she was trying to charge me for. Lol! It was yummy! I’m sure I will be back. I need to try some milkshakes

Go freaking figure this Cook Out has a lower average than the one on Western Boulevard despite being the far superior location. Ah well. I am mainly writing this review just to prove to everybody that I actually don’t drink haterade.
This Cook Out was my first exposure to the restaurant chain, and every experience has been very positive. I longed for this place when I was in LA.
Choose from burgers, hot dogs, barbecue sandwiches, and chicken tenders as your entrees. The Cook Out tray is the best combo in fast food, and it comes with 2 sides and a drink. Sides range from the ordinary to the not so ordinary, but there are no upcharges for these. Pay $ 1 more to upgrade your drink into one of the better milkshakes out there. There are no shortcuts with these milkshakes. An Oreo milkshake, for instance, is made with real Oreos and ice cream.
Once upon a time ago HWY 64 only had 2 lanes. Now, I’m unbelievably old, but I’m not old enough to remember that. Even after HWY 64 expanded, it still was a twisted challenge to go to Cook Out for lunch from Apex High School. Back in my day, we were only given 40 minutes or so for lunch. This Cook Out is ran so unbelievably well, that I would always be able to make it back in time for class.
I like Cook Out. I really do. I just like Cook Outs that aren’t ran by complete and utter morons. This is a good example of a Cook Out that isn’t ran by morons.

You can get the same type of food you can get at a cook out at the drive thru. What’s not to love? Well, the service could be improved and what about a place to eat? There are two drive thrus are this location, which is nice, but maybe I picked the wrong side because the person waiting on me didn’t care too much to stop talking to her friend inside in order to give me my order until I beeped my horn. It would have also been good to have picnic tables or somewhere to eat my food. I noticed kids eating their food sitting in the trunks of their cars and thought this was weird, but then realized this is a «get it and go» type of place.
The food is cool, but I think the main draw to this place is the $ 5 tray, which included a main (burger/​hotdog), 2 sides and a drink.

We loved the shakes, the burgers were pretty good for fast food but the fries were pretty plain. We did like it enough to go back!

Food was not bad at all, just bland especially the chicken bacon club sandwich but they redeemed themselves with the Reese ’ s peanut butter cup shake. Plus the fries were hot and had the right amt of salt. If the chicken sandwich had any flavor they would have gotten 5 stars with no problem.

I’ve delayed my writing of this review for quite some time in order that I might be better equipped to bring down this establishment through rhetorical skill. This cookout is the preferred hangout for bums and favorite eatery of drunk drivers and or drunk passengers that need to stuff their fat faces before passing out on their friends couch only to awake the next morning after nearly drowning in their own drool. The taste and quality of the food is certainly on par with the distinguished tastes of bums and drunks alike, however the major issue lies in the sanitation of this establishment. Do not be fooled by the near perfect sanitation score they hang on the wall, if you are probably in a hunger filled trance that prevents you from reading two numbers correctly. The inside of a cookout has a sanitation on par to your dog’s food bowl, and that’s why you aren’t allowed inside. Ever wonder why your milkshake tastes like spoiled milk? It could be because the milkshake mixer is never cleaned, they actually just replace it after it is destroyed from the friction of stirring 20,000 milkshakes. The employees (God bless them, and please don’t spit in my food) lack even the basic understanding of cleanliness. I actually had to witness an employee spill half my milkshake on the counter, then proceed to scoop it with her hands, put it back in the cup and hand it to me like I was going to take it. She looked at me like «whelp there ya go, perfectly good milkshake» I can not express how much I wanted grab that milkshake out of her hand, throw it back into the cookout window and see it splatter all over the back wall, and then watch her dumbfounded face in disbelief that I had just done that. Fortunately I lacked to courage and I simply tried to explain to her why I wanted a new milkshake, and of course she didn’t understand and I left that day without it. I’m not going to say never go to cookout, because of course you will. But understand the risks before pigging out on some fries and a corndog that were likely dropped on the floor and fell behind the Friars. ²⁄₅ (would recommend over Waffle House)

Was in a rush and decided to give this place another try. Upgrading my review as my food looked a lot better the second time around. Maybe they were having an off day last time?
Burger was in better shape this time around and I really can’t complain about the value you get from their menu. Good place to go if you’re trying to save a few bucks and don’t want to cook for yourself.

Service is slower than the western Boulevard location and to my knowledge there is no walk up window or outdoor seating.
However no one beats the $ 5 Cookout tray.

The tray. What can I say? Where else can you get a incredibly delicious burger that tastes like some man with a beard just grilled it, along with a chicken quesadilla, a corn dog, and a «huge sweet tea» for $ 5 & change? It’s personal combinations are legendary and the food packs a punch. In a good way. For fast food or money can’t go farther and the taste is genuine.
Oh I’m sorry, all you have is two bucks? That’s okay, you can still get some delicious food and top it off with a signature shake. They have all of the foods that your mom told you to stay away from. Every guilty pleasure you can think of.
1 little trick is to drive the left hand lane. Yes there are 2 lanes to drive thru here just like the old days. The left hand lane still give you plenty of reach cross the seat room 2 and your money to the kid who has its first job in this place. Usually it’s a little bit faster.
The one in Cary has always been a favorite and they are usually great sports when we come up to the window with me and my friends in our hijinks. Treat them well and they will in turn treat you well too.

Cookout is one of my favorite fast food restaurants. I have lived around the country and I am always looking for new places to eat so after moving to Cary I started hitting all the regional or one off places.
Like they advertise… you are getting your burger prepared as if it is at an outdoor cookout. Sometimes I get a fabulous juicy burger and sometimes I get a well done flat burger. It really doesn’t matter to me because they all taste great and I like some variation. I think you would have to be a little nuts to drive by a Cookout to go to a chain like McDonald’s or Burger King. There is something disturbing about getting 1000 Big Mac’s over my lifetime across the world and they all taste exactly the same.
I noticed there are a number of negative reviews, but for the price you really can’t beat Cookout. It is an effing hamburger and not a $ 80 bottle of wine. If you are going to rate a fast food burger place at least compare it to other fast food burger joints.
Additionally, the shakes are awesome and my favorite is the banana shake.

A friend has raved about their shakes and I was out and about today, so I decided to get a couple for my playmate-​for-​life and myself. After ordering a chocolate malt and a heath toffee, I got to the window to discover they had made a chocolate banana and a peach. Okay, that’s fine, I don’t mind waiting a couple more moments, mistakes happen. I’m given my ‘correct’ shakes and I’m on my merry way. I get home to discover that I’ve been given, essentially, two vanilla shakes.
Really disappointing.

Full review at:
This was one of the places that locals gushed about when I got here. The fact that there’s one in my backyard (no, literally… if I step out the rear sliding door of my townhouse, I can be at the walk-​up window within two minutes) meant that it was just a matter of time before I ate there. Every day, around 3:30, the smell of burgers fills the air, as they start bracing for the dinner rush. And I’ll give them that – the burgers are fresh. We’re not talking about the frozen patties that other chains use. It also seems that each patty is inspected for thorough cooking. I’ve noticed over the years that the patties are split up the middle, probably to insure they’re not too pink.
The delivery system and concept are simple: drive through or walk up. There’s no eating area… unless you count an adjoining parking lot, like our townhouses. It’s as fast as fast food can get: get in, get the food, get out. The menuboard requires both a graduate degree and ²⁰⁄₂₀ vision to read. It’s dense and a bit difficult to navigate. They simplified it about a year ago, but it’s still tough to get through the first few times. This is further complicated by the fact that the location I go to is staffed by obnoxious teenagers who don’t like to be given an order twice and hate being asked to confirm orders. I rarely have someone get my order right the first time I give it, and even more rarely get someone who’s not annoyed when I ask them to confirm it… just to make sure that «extra pickle» doesn’t translate to «no pickle» somehow.
Cook Out deals in the standard burger joint fare: burgers (or chicken breasts), barbeque, hot dogs, shakes, and sides. And to be honest, the food’s fairly-​priced for the portions. Their signature item is the «Tray” – a make-​your-​own meal that gives a pretty large reign over the menu (shakes extra, of course), for under five dollars. But their other signature is the subtle placement of bible verses and a little Lee Greenwood-​influenced patriotism on the fry bags and shake cups. Now let’s be honest here, few things say «‘Murrika!» like inexpensive, artery-​clogging burgers, fries, and shakes. But the only time I want Jesus involved in my meal is if he can take my cheeseburger tray, double fry, and milkshake and make it feed me more than once. Yes, it’s their right to do it, but it’s a bit disjarring for the nonreligulous.
The food’s decent. Like I said, the burgers seem to be cooked on the premises and either kept in a warmer or microwaved until they’re server. The usual toppings are free, and things like tomato, cheese, and bacon will run extra. The burgers themselves do have a nice grilled taste to them that blends well with the toppings. The meat’s good, and the toppings are fresh.
I can’t tell if the fries are fresh or frozen… and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. The hot dog offerings are decent – the «mexi dog» in particular, with chili, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a shot of Texas Pete to keep it local.
Cook Out’s shakes, while legendary in local food culture, are overrated. I’m sorry, but they just are. When people gush about the shakes, what I really think they mean is the sheer combinations of them, more than the quality. The shakes themselves are just soft serve ice cream with toppings and a few moments in a blender. I’d use an arctic-​themed reference, but Dairy Queen and McDonalds grabbed trademark on the words, and their lawyers are better than mine… but you get the idea. Quality-​wise, it’s just soft serve ice cream. What Cook Out specializes at is the clever combination of flavors. Most, you can get pretty easily. Cookies and cream, Snickers, mint – all obvious mix-​ins. But shakes like the cobblers use canned fruit and vanilla wafers, and the cheesecake shakes use fruit and some cheesecake. So there’s a little creativity. Seasonal shakes (watermelon and egg nog) are cute on a menuboard, but didn’t translate well when I’ve tried them over the years.
When I was a little boy, I had a relative, Uncle Gene. Gene wasn’t really an uncle as much as one of my paternal grandmother’s in-​laws for whom there may not have been a family title… so he just got «uncle» by default. Nice guy, as I remember, but he always had these little, red mini-​bibles that he carried with him. At every family gathering, Uncle Gene was handing out the little, red mini-​bibles to the kids present. I just came to expect it. When I think about Cook Out, I think about Uncle Gene – nice guy, but a little unwarrantedly preachy. Likewise, with Cook Out, the religulousness is just to be expected. The burgers are excellent, the fries pass muster, and the shakes are disguised soft serve, but the overall meal (or at least its price) makes enduring the «‘Murrica!» and bible verses (I guess I should give them credit for avoiding the John 3:16 cliché) tolerable.

I don’t get the hype that much. is it a good deal? Yes … but the food is not particularly spectacular. The hushpuppies used to be a bit better. The fries are decent. The burgers are alright (get cookout style) but I wouldn’t crave this place by any means. The milkshakes are really really thick. I had come here a long long time ago but hadn’t been back — a friend was raving so decided to give it another go. I was expecting In-​n-​Out — so maybe my expectations were too high. Overall, the food is fine and for the price is good.

For a fast food joint It gets 5 stars… when compared to gourmet burgers and restaurants of course it wouldn’t get 5 stars… but this is a fast food place that makes a real good burger with fresh ingredients. First time there got 2 regular burgers. one cheddar style and one cookout style. highly recommend. Also the fudge banana milkshake is aces

Excellent Value! Cook Out is fast-​food that is a step above the big chains, yet surprisingly less expensive it seems. We were all Cook Out noobs, until the other night when I pulled up to the order window at this Cary location and ordered for the five of us: one ½ lb. cheeseburger, three ¹⁄₈ lb. cheeseburgers, a pulled-​pork plate, an order of fries and onion rings, hush-​puppies, a large Dr. Pepper and a mint-​Oreo milkshake. The total came to just a little over $ 20 bucks is all!!! We were starving and raced home and dove into the grub.
Although it wasn’t particularly photogenic, my ½ lb. cheeseburger tasted great. The Onion Rings did not disappoint. Everyone seemed to really like their food and we couldn’t even finish the fries. Although hush puppies are foreign to me, I got the idea to bust out a bottle of (real) maple syrup from my fridge and we poured some on a plate and dipped the hush puppies in it as a dessert to finish off our meal. Try it!
My wallet is definitely a fan of Cook Out!

There was a Cook-​Out in Richmond, VA so, Cook-​Out is not new to me, but seeing as Cook-​Out originated in NC, I had to stop by one down here eventually. As usual, the food isn’t anything out-​of-​this-​world, but it is pretty good food, especially for the price. They are quick and cheap. My favorites from Cook-​Out are the hushpuppies and, of course, the milkshakes! I love anything cheesecake blended (strawberry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, caramel cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, etc).
On this particular visit, I had a great employee. It had been a while since I’d visited a Cook-​Out, so I had to take a minute to review the menu, when I asked «Can I have a minute?» The guy said, «Sure, take 2! They’re free today!» It was great. He was very enthusiastic too, when I finally said I was ready, he said, «All right, let’s get the party started!» It’s always nice to see happy employees. =] Whoever you are, keep that great attitude!

When I visited my cousin last summer, he was very excited about bringing me to his favorite places to pig out. He was especially excited to show me just how much food one can get for just how little money you will spend at Cook Out. And as a New Yorker who is totally ok with adding an extra buck-​fifty to an already ten dollar burger for a slice of cheese or –gasp– bacon, I was extremely impressed. I also became more aware of why obesity is an issue in America. But I digress.
We got tons of food, the quality of which was higher than I expected given the price and the drive-​thru situation. The burgers were juicy and grilled to perfection, and the cheese melted into the burger, not out of it. I had my first experience with hushpuppies, which were crispy on the outside.
The milkshakes were even better. Thick, smooth consistency, lots of flavor (I really liked the cherry cola), and so large that it lasted a long time.
Service was good, too. Friendly cashier. The line of cars was a little long, though.