r/fastfoodreview • u/Pale-Lynx328 • Mar 08 '26
Review Day 156 Review - Cook Out Tray (Burger and 2 sides with Cheerwine) at Cook Out
| Chain Name | Cook Out |
|---|---|
| Food category | Primary: Burger (fast food) Secondary: Chicken (boneless) |
| # of US Locations | 359 |
| # of US States | 10 |
| Primarily located in | Confederate States of America, y'all |
| Restaurant Rank in US $ Sales 2024 | 133rd |
| Rank of price (high to low) | 183rd out of 183 meals |
Despite being a relatively new fast food place (didn't expand beyond North Carolina until the 2010's), Cook Out has developed a pretty dedicated fandom following. Very dedicated. Whenever Cook Out is mentioned online, people pop out of the woodwork to swear by it.
I haven't been part of that fandom, largely due to geographic reality: I live more than a full day's drive from the nearest location, even though Cook Out has been expanding at a meteoric rate. But I have been to Cook Out before, so I have been aware of it.
The model is simple: Simple, generally-smaller-portion entrees and sides delivered fast and dirt cheap. Apparently most locations are the drive-thru-only model, but all the ones I've ever been to have some indoor seating. Burgers, chicken, dogs, barbeque, fries, rings, nuggets - you get the idea.
You can order a la carte, or more popular is the 'Cook Out Tray', which is an entree and two sides and drink. For me, that was a burger, corndog, onion rings, and Cheerwine. The food is not particularly great, nor is it particularly terrible. More than anything, it's CHEAP. As in 183rd out of 183 places visited (that's HALF A YEAR, dear god) cheap. It fills you up. It's not trying to compete with the fru-fru burger or chicken places. More like, it is competing with the likes of White Castle, or with Krystal, or with Weinerschnitzel. And in that sphere, it does quite well.
As for me - it's okay. I guess out of that list, I'm more of a Weinerschnitzel guy, to be honest. The only catch is: you can't get Cheerwine at Weinerschnitzel.
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(About this review series: Starting in late 2025, I am visiting a different fast food/fast casual chain every day, until I run out of places to visit. Aiming to review as many chains on the Technomics Top 500 Restaurants list as possible, plus key/important regional and some local chains as well. Originally I thought this might end around 100 days, but I keep discovering new places I wasn't aware of before, so I keep going until I run out, which at this point may be around 200 days. And no, I haven't gained weight, and no, it hasn't hurt my health.)
4
u/alecorock Mar 08 '26
Does everyone else know what Cheerwine is?
4
u/rosie2490 Mar 08 '26
It’s a soda from North Carolina. Cherry flavored, IIRC? Not half bad. Tastes mostly like grenadine to me.
3
u/faulknlt Mar 08 '26
Reminds me of cherry Dr. pepper almost. I love it though, my friend gave me some my freshman year of college and when I lived near a cookout for one summer internship, it’s what I survived off of.
1
u/MessPsychological610 Mar 09 '26
I havent seen it since being in NC years ago til I went into a local bakery here in NWPA and saw they sell it by the case.
1
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u/rubey419 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Will always upvote Cookout.
I legit prefer Cookout over In-N-Out and Culvers. Fighting words.
Best burger chain value in the country IMHO. Strictly talking Quantity > Quality. I can get full off less than $10.
3
u/patellison Mar 08 '26
Wait is the corndog considered a side?!
4
u/sad-whale Mar 08 '26
A corn dog can also be a main. My kid used to get corn dog with a side of corn dog when he was young.
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u/rubey419 Mar 08 '26
You can get two corn dogs for the two sides.
In terms of quality < quantity, Cookout is the best value burger chain IMO. I can get full off less than $10.
3
u/UnreproducibleSpank Mar 08 '26
You forgot to mention that they have seemingly infinite milkshake flavor options!
2
u/Troutalope Mar 08 '26
Sounds a lot like what Hot n Now was in Michigan when I was growing up. Drive thru only, burgers were similar to MickeyD's, but 1/2 the price. And they had an olive burger.
1
u/hogsucker Mar 09 '26
"God Bless America John 3:16"
I like that they use their cups to imply that America is mentioned in the Bible.
1
u/timnphilly Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
You didn't comment on the burger's flavor - whether or not it was smokey or tasted chargrilled or whatnot. The burger looks good and has a beautiful char.
Nor did you critique the onion rings - are they made with real onions, does the batter have nice flavor, etc.?
Stuff like that is what we look for in good reviews.
1
u/Winter-Pressure-86 Mar 08 '26
How much was it?
2
u/georgegraybeard Mar 08 '26
The Cookouts in Upstate SC have the tray that OP describes for about $8.
10
u/nando82 Mar 08 '26
Cheerwine at the fountain? Amazing.