Cook Out

Before I get into my review... Some back story. I have been hearing about "Cook Out" for a while from a few people I know from NC. They ranted and raved, so naturally, when I saw one while traveling through NC I was excited.

Disclaimer: 1 I am from the north and 2 I do not eat pork.

I get to the menu and I am a bit overwhelmed to say the least. It has
a lot going on.

I see BBQ and I got all excited... then I got the news... BBQ = Pulled Pork, much to my dismay. I was all excited to have found a "Cook Out" and the only thing they have that is BBQ on the menu is pulled pork, talk about false advertising.

Once I got over the fact that there was no Brisket or even BBQ chicken I settled on a burger. I have to admit the burger was just good... After all the hype I was expecting SO much more. It seemed like it was char Grilled but that didn't make up for the fact that there was no beef BBQ anything on the menu. I also ordered some chili cheese fries. It seemed like they might have been a little on the cold side cause they were not good at all.

My wife and one of my sons had burgers that they enjoyed, while my other son had a corn dog. My wife commented that she was also expecting more after all the hype.

All in all Cook out is just another fast food burger joint. Again with a name like cook out I was expecting real BBQ and was left so disappointed that I don't think I will go out of my way to go back to one. I didn't have a shake which I later found out they were known for. If and when I see another one I may stop for that only.

Writing this I am feeling that disappointed feeling all over again thinking about how that there was only pork BBQ on the menu.

Hey, ya know what? For a fast food joint this place is kind of amazing. On my never-ending trip from Philly to NC, my husband and pilot of our trek, tends to get very cranky if he's not regularly fed, so it was with a near meltdown on the horizon that we pulled off 95 and lucked upon this place.

The spicy chicken sandwich packed more heat, and I thought better quality meat than a Wendy's or McD's, although it may have been just a bit smaller.

This place was milkshake heaven though, I have never seen so many milkshake options at a normal restaurant let alone a fast food place. We tried out the cappuccino and it did not disappoint.

I also thought this place had really stand out fries. They were served piping hot (seriously, they were too hot to eat until after we had finished everything else!) The perfect amount of saltiness and a small size was plentiful for two people.

Overall this was a great experience. And to boot they were fast and cheap, I only wish they had these places up north!

Sometimes it rains, it's below 40 degrees, or you just don't have the money nor patience to buy charcoal or propane to fire up the grill. Alas! Cook-Out is the remedy to cure these ills!

Even though it took me two visits to locations in North Carolina and still a goose egg in any Virginia areas I can say I was satisfied on both occasions at 2 different locations.  On a recent road trip to Savannah my girl and I stopped by Cook-Out on the way down as our first food stop. It happened on a whim as we noticed the giant billboard telling us we were within 5 minutes of the location and it was about noon, perfect timing!

There was no dine-in area at this location nor at the other location we stopped at on the way back. However, there are 2 drive thru lines (one on each side) to make traffic go through smoothly and is it ever necessary. When we got there both lines were about 4 cars deep. We were anxious to order the hyped "Cook Out Tray" which is your choice of  8 different sandwich choices from chicken to burgers to even a barbecue sandwich then your choice of 2 sides. This is where the options get a little ridiculous and by ridiculous I mean that in the best fat kid way possible. The standard fare of French Fries, Onion Rings, and Hush Puppies are on the menu, but so are Chicken Nuggets (3), a Corn Dog, Chili, or even a Bacon Wrap (Bacon with lettuce and cheese wrapped in a tortilla). The Tray (combo) rounds out with your choice of a drink, Cheerwine or Coke Float or for just $1 more your choice of any one of 50 milkshake flavors. They have all the typical candy mix-in flavors you would find in a Dairy Queen Blizzard along with Fruit Cobbler options and even Hi-C or Orange Push Up flavors.

All of this for $4.99 and that's if you get a milkshake, which isn't really a choice you should think about in comparison to other fast food restaurants where you would pay much more in total.

So you've read about the value and are probably wondering about the taste.  The first go around I had the Big Double Burger (think of it as the amount of meat you would find in a BK Double) with lettuce, tomato, and onion. She had the Regular Burger which had the same amount of meat just in the form of one patty. We both had a side of chicken nuggets and fries and a milkshake.

The burger did have that "Cook-Out" flavor that they tout about. It tasted like it was fresh off a backyard grill with a certain smoky flavor to it.  The chicken nuggets to quote former NFL Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green... "THEY ARE WHAT (WHO) WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!" 3 Chicken Nuggets which tasted like a brand with the same name as that legendary boxing ear biter. The fries reminded me of Boardwalk Fries in the way they were cut and were piping hot and delicious.  We ordered ranch dressing for our nuggets and they hit the spot.  The milkshakes were very thick and lasted damn near an hour that's how thick.  I had a Snickers milkshake while she had the Orange Push Up.  I liked both but the Orange Push Up was my favorite. The flavor brought me back to the days when I would run down the ice cream man to get that Flintstones Push Up Pop! Yeah it's that close to it.

On the way back from our vacation I had the Cajun Chicken Sandwich and Corn Dog for a side and both did not disappoint in flavor. And the Corn Dog was the size of your regular corn dog and the batter was just the right thickness not overpowering the taste of the hot dog.

Cook-Out definitely packs the flavor and value you're looking for in a fast food meal. If you're willing to stop by and try a "Tray" be sure to have your smartphone in hand to surf the web or have text conversation with a friend, but don't post on Facebook "This line is ridiculous!" because more than likely you'll be posting "It was worth the wait!" soon there after.