Cook Out

It is tradition to simply stop at a Cook out when driving to Alabama. When I asked did they have vegetarian options, the cashier told me that they gave a vegetarian sandwich. It was simply a burger without the meat. no complaints! In addition, I ordered onion rings which were fabulous.
My sister order the combo tray with a burger, double order of chicken nuggets, and a bottled water. Her meal was $ 4.99, and she had a lot of food.
This place is truly for any budget!

Food is great but the staff at this location isn’t as courteous as they should be.
Also, They also have a 94.5 cleanliness rating which is disappointing. I would suggest one of the other Cook Out Locations.

The quality just isn’t there. It was my first time. The nuggets were like sponges. One bite and I threw them away. The fries tasted like chemicals and the burger was poor quality beef with bone chunks mixed in. Never going here again.

Not what I expected. The burgers are small and not that tasty. The hush puppies are good.

Food is always fantastic! They get shifty on the portions sometimes but it’s still good… service…well you gotta catch the good ones there’s a few eggs that are rotten.

This has got to be the worst cookout ever… the staff is completely incompetent… I have visited this cookout several times and each time my order is completely wrong… I give up with this restaurant

In the realm of fast food, there can be only one ruler. Thr Ruler is of course, Chick-​fil-​a (in my humble opinion) … and the next in line to the throne would be Sir Von Cookout, Duke of Milk Shakes and Sloppy Burgers. Cookout beats out the more well known establishments like Burger Queen, and McDowells (extra points if you can guess the movie reference) because it has that homey, family reunion type taste. The burgers aren’t fancy but they come pretty well dressed. It reminds me of In & Out on the West Coast. Their grub is pretty solid and the menu is well rounded for a burger drive-​thru joint. I tried two types of burgers and a pulled pork sandwich … and a shake. Bill was less than $ 10 and my arteries didn’t even clog that much. So the value is on par if not better than the competition. Less we forget the real reason why everyone flocks to or should flock to Cookout. The Milk Shakes. The 50 million types of milkshakes. Seriously there’s probably too many milk shakes on the menu. The cookies and cream milk shake was pretty good and kind of tasted like a McFlurry. It was think and kind of hard to suck from a stray. #pause. All and all, I’d suggest that you at least try Cookout once in your life — for the food. Then 13 times for milk shakes. Bön appetite.

One if my favorite go to spots for a quick bite. Expect lots of grease and protein! The shakes here are really good too. I recommend the banana shake. Overall good value.

They have great tasting food for a reasonable price. I’ve only been through the drive thru lanes (there’s two if them FYI) and it has always been fast service, and they haven’t messed up my order yet. Great milkshake selection, I recommend the Oreo flavor. Prolly one of the best cook outs I’ve been to.

Clearly my expectations were set too high.
With such high reviews all over Unilocal at various locations, including this one, we intentionally made this a stop driving from Mobile, AL to Maryland in October 2013. Prior to this trip, I had not heard of this chain but reading Unilocal reviews I thought it would be a satisfying road trip stop.
Not so much. Perhaps the name tricked me, but I expected flavorful food that felt like you had actually gone to a friend’s cook out. Instead, the meal was lack luster, plain and while certainly better than a Mickey D’s stop, we both (my S/​O and I) were disappointed. The ¼ lb burger was actually kind of pathetic.
I will give this chain a couple things. The packaging is great for travelers. The tray/​box held our selections perfectly without making a mess in the car. The value is great as well, you get a lot of food for your money.
Of course, I prefer quality of food over quantity, so I won’t be returning.

My wife has become addicted to the Cook Out «peach cobbler» milkshake. So when I was visiting her near Uptown, I popped over to this Cookout to pick one up. Firstly, this is a sketch neighborhood. I did not feel at all comfortable here with a «bars on the windows» vibe. But the Cook Out itself is a bright shining diamond in this rough.
As for the shake, she pronounced it «meh.» Unimpressed with not enough peach in it and the few bits were too small.
Note that there are TWO drive through lanes. The outside one is a bit complicated so if you don’t get it, stick with the inside one.

Food and service is great! Need some outdoor sitting.

Their milkshake selection is crazy. Go here only for the milkshakes (especially the peanut butter fudge one).
That being said, the cajun fries are OK, the hush puppies are unimpressive, and the Cook Out style burger is a typical fast food burger. Its a little better than steak & shake but that isn’t a tall order.
See if they can give you a spoon with your milkshake unless you have the soft palate muscle strength to suck a golf ball through a garden hose*. It is very thick.
*from Full Metal Jacket.

Cookouts motto should be you get a corn dog and another side. I swear all everyone orders is a damn corn dog on their tray and so do I. THis cookout is fast and makes the food the same as any other cookout. Now to be a 5 star cookout, you need quesadillas. This cookout is lacking in the sides department, but other than that, just a standard cookout.

They get 5 stars just for having such a wide variety of milkshakes. I think we were told there are 200 different flavor combinations. What? I mean that is just overwhelming. I have never had a meal at cookout but I did have the pleasure of trying one of their shakes this past weekend.
The orange push pop milkshake tastes just like an orange push pop. Remember those? Such a refreshing treat on a hot summer day. It will definitely take you back to your childhood as well. Yummy yummy!
When a smoothie just won’t cut it and you have to go a little bit more «dirty»…check out the shakes at Cookout. You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve frequented Cook Outs around Charlotte, but ever since I moved to this side of town, I haven’t been to my neighborhood location that often. After a bad experience at 3 am on a Saturday night left a car full of us empty-​bellied and scarred for life (I believe the words out of our mouths were «MIKE, GET US OUT OF HERE NOW, I JUST WANT TO LIVE!») I haven’t had much of a taste for hush puppies, you know?
But a few weeks ago I put on a brave face and decided to scope out the sketchiness-​factor a bit earlier in the evening, successfully achieved a milkshake, and lived to tell about it. Since then I’ve been back a couple of times, but again, before 1 am. The BBQ plate is one of my staples– it is dirt cheap and man is it delicious.
The police officers are totally necessary– partially for safety, but mostly to direct the traffic. (There are 2 lanes, you know, and you can’t exit through the entrance, guys.) Look, I really don’t think my fear is unfounded, it is not a great neighborhood. Stick with the semi-​late hours and you should be fine.

This is my go-​to spot for late night eating. Fortunately it’s close to my house, so I can satiate the post-​drinking munchies that inevitably happen. The staff is friendly and quick, and the prices are unbeatable.
I don’t like a rut; always having «the usual» at a restaurant, but the Cook Out Style burger is what always drags me in. I can’t pass up that cheese, chili and onions. My lady had the cheddar and bacon burger in a recent late night adventure to Cook Out and she gave it rave reviews. I only got to gnaw on a tiny piece of bacon, but it was enough to make me want to try it the next time I’m hungry for some grease.

The Freedom Drive Cook Out is a very special place. The convenient double drive-​through, ever-​present squad cars (I hear this used to be a pretty bad neighborhood), super-​fast and friendly service; all good things. But nothing holds a candle to their 40 fresh milkshakes.
The peach cobbler shake is my favorite – it’s peach cobbler a la mode that you can suck through a straw! (Duh, it’s a milk shake, but ommm…)
A very close second is the watermelon milkshake, only available July through August. I can’t think of anything more refreshing on a hot summer day than chilled chunks of watermelon in ice cream. Sooo good. The servers seem to be having fun too; last time I was there I caught a shake competition and had to decide who’d made the best one. I think I was the winner there.
For the savory crowd, they offer crazy cheap variety platters with burgers, fries and barbecue choices, but don’t believe the hype if you’re with a hungry crowd. The trays are disappointingly small (how else could they offer all that for $ 5?) and really could only satisfy one person with a big appetite (me). The burgers are pretty good, juicy. Before moving to NC I’d never heard of the Cook Out chain; glad that’s been fixed!

Had the Cookout style burger (homemade chili, slaw, mustard, onions) and it was pretty darn good. Also had the Out west style burger (bbq sauce, bacon, mayo, pickles, onions) but it was blah. I didnt taste any bbq sauce at all. Had the regular chopped bbq sandwich and that was below average. I’ve had much better.
They have something like 36 flavors of shakes. I had the blueberry cheesecake and it was really, really good. I want to try them all but will probably never get a chance. They have some really tasty sounding ones on the menu.
This place is really inexpensive. Doesn’t hurt your wallet at all.

This is a great place to get a good quick greasy burger and fries.
This will make you feel good as you bite into the burger and all of the juices just seep out of your mouth. I must warn you… you will need a napkin.
They seemed to have invented the double drive-​thru system as this was the first place I have ever seen it in Charlotte. They are very busy, and they have done this right. Even McD’s followed this idea in several locations.
The burgers are reasonably priced, the service is fast and friendly, and the sanitation score was 97.5.
When you are in the neighborhood, you should give these guys a try, they provide a great value burger with excellent taste, and lots of flavor.
I have included a picture of the small burger with bacon and cheese $ 2.14 (before taxes).
4 Stars.
NCFoodGuy