Cook Out started in Greensboro, North Carolina, back in 1989. It grew into a Southeast favorite by keeping prices low and portions large. The menu covers char grilled burgers, chopped BBQ, hot dogs, chicken, and more than 40 milkshake flavors. This guide breaks down every section so you know what to order and roughly what it costs before you get to the window.
Most items on the board fall between $0.99 and $7. A single burger starts around $1.19. A full tray with a main dish, two sides, hushpuppies, and a drink runs from $6.29 to $7.69 at most locations. Milkshakes sit near $3 on their own. Prices shift a bit by city and state, so treat these as a starting point rather than a fixed number. Boards are updated by each location, not printed nationwide, which is part of why the chain can hold prices lower than most drive thrus.
The tray is the reason regulars keep coming back. You pick one main item, two sides, and a drink. Hushpuppies come free with almost every tray. You can swap the drink for a milkshake for about $1.60 more, which regulars consider the best upgrade on the board.
Popular tray combinations include:
BBQ tray with slaw and seasoned fries
Quesadilla tray with onion rings and sweet tea
Chicken strip tray with fries and hushpuppies
Small burger tray for a lighter meal
With dozens of main options and side pairings, a tray can be built thousands of different ways. That much choice is a big part of why the chain built such a loyal following across the South.
Burgers are char grilled, not fried, which gives them a smoky edge over most fast food patties. The lineup ranges from a plain hamburger to loaded double patty builds.
Hamburger: a simple beef patty with standard toppings
Cheeseburger: the same burger with melted cheese
Big Double Burger: two patties for bigger appetites
Quarter Pound Burger: a thicker single patty option
You can also order a burger in a style, such as Cheddar Style or Out West Style. Each style comes with a set topping combination already worked out by the kitchen. It lets you try something new without listing every topping yourself.
The chain serves North Carolina style chopped pork BBQ, slow cooked and tossed in a light vinegar sauce. It comes as a sandwich or a full plate with two sides.
Hot dogs are char grilled and served plain or loaded. A house style dog usually includes chili, slaw, mustard, and onions. Customers in online food forums often point to the loaded hot dog as one of the best value picks on the whole menu, since it stays cheap even fully dressed.
The chicken lineup covers grilled breast sandwiches, crispy fillets, and breaded strips. Quesadillas come filled with chicken or beef, melted cheese, and a house sauce. Both work well as a tray main if you want something lighter than a burger without giving up flavor.
Sides are simple but made well. Fries, onion rings, and hushpuppies cover the basics. Slaw, corn, and a quesadilla side round out the rest of the list. Most sides cost under $2 on their own, and they come free with any tray order, which stretches the value even further.
This is where the chain separates itself from every other drive thru. It offers more than 30 hand spun milkshake flavors, from classic vanilla to peach cobbler and peanut butter cup. Staff will blend two flavors into one cup on request, which has become a small tradition among regulars. Popular blended combinations shared across customer communities include peanut butter with banana, and Oreo with mint.
There is no printed secret menu, but the kitchen allows heavy customization. You can ask for any topping combination on a burger or hot dog, double the meat on most items, or mix milkshake flavors freely. Some of the most requested off menu builds include a burger topped like a quesadilla, and a hot dog loaded with jalapenos, chili, and cheese sauce. None of these cost extra since they use ingredients already stocked in the kitchen.
Portion sizes run generous, so calorie counts can climb fast on combo trays. A BBQ plate lands near 970 calories once sides are added. Burgers alone stay lighter, often between 400 and 700 calories depending on toppings and patty count. If you want a lower calorie option, a grilled chicken sandwich or a small burger without cheese is the safer pick. Checking nutrition info before ordering helps if you are tracking intake closely.
This chain runs late. Most locations open around 10:30 in the morning and stay open past midnight, with some running until 3 or 4 in the morning on weekends. That late night window makes it a common stop near college campuses and busy commercial strips. Restaurants operate across the Southeast and Mid Atlantic, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, with newer locations now open in Florida.
For the price, yes. A full tray meal costs less than half of a combo at most national chains, where food away from home prices have climbed steadily over the past year. Portions are generous, the BBQ carries real regional flavor, and the milkshake selection is hard to match anywhere else. The tradeoff is that dining rooms are small or missing entirely at many locations, so most people eat in the car or at outdoor tables.
A basic combo at most national burger chains runs between $10 and $13 in 2026. A full tray here starts near $6.29 and still includes two sides and a drink. That gap is not small. Industry data shows food away from home has climbed roughly 4 percent year over year, yet this chain has kept its core tray pricing close to where it sat a few years back. Low overhead is part of the reason. Most locations skip a full dining room and run mainly on drive thru and walk up windows, which keeps labor and rent costs down and lets the savings pass to the customer.
Value shows up in other small ways too. Hushpuppies come free with a tray instead of costing extra. Toppings on burgers and hot dogs are free no matter how many you add. Sauces like Cajun and Polynesian cost nothing extra even when stacked on multiple items in one order. None of that is common at a typical fast food counter.
Ask around and a few items come up again and again. The BBQ tray with hushpuppies gets named often as the best overall value on the board. The quesadilla tray draws people who want something different from a standard burger night. First time visitors are usually pointed toward a loaded burger built in one of the named styles, since it removes the guesswork around toppings.
Milkshakes get their own following separate from the food. Regulars tend to settle on one or two go to blends rather than trying a new flavor every visit, and mixing two flavors in one cup is common enough that most staff will not blink at the request.
Order a tray instead of single items if you want the best price per bite
Ask for a burger by style name to skip listing toppings one by one
Upgrade the drink to a milkshake since the added cost is small
Check hours before a late night run, since they vary slightly by city
Ask about mixing two milkshake flavors if you cannot pick just one
What is the cheapest item on the menu?
A plain hot dog or a single side usually costs under a dollar, making it the cheapest item on the board.
How much does a tray cost?
Most trays run between $6.29 and $7.69, depending on the main item and the location.
Is there a secret menu?
Not officially. The kitchen allows free customization, which lets customers build their own off menu combinations at no extra cost.
How many milkshake flavors are available?
There are more than 30 flavors, and staff will blend two together in one cup on request.
What states have locations?
Restaurants operate mainly in the Southeast and Mid Atlantic, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and parts of Florida.
This menu built its reputation on low prices, big portions, and a tray system that rewards anyone willing to explore it. Whether you stick to a classic burger or build a custom hot dog, the value is hard to beat for the price. Check your local board for exact pricing, since numbers shift slightly from one city to the next.