Cook Out

We Americans don’t know how to judge. We throw around «good» and «bad» as descriptive words, but without context they are meaningless. We must have a situation in mind or an idea of the ideal before we can make value statements.
Therefore, here are a few situations where Cook Out can rightly be said to be «good.»
When your group of friends wants to get milkshakes, spur of the moment
When you’d like to be full but have little money
When you’re a prayer leader and want to spice things up with your prayer group
And here are a few situations where Cook Out can rightly be said to be «bad.»
When you’re on a first date
When you don’t want to see anyone you know
When you care about your health
So, make America great again, provide context to your judgment statements, and don’t go to Cook Out for a first date.

The Cajun chicken tray is my favorite, it’s always good and never disappoints. Service is decently fast, depending on how crazy it gets. Be forewarned, it’s proximity to Liberty means that it’s part of their core food group. Expect lines on week nights, and especially weekends.

Always fast when going through the drive-​thru and always gets my order right. Their milkshakes are good, but the food is pretty average. It is great for a late night food run because they are one of the only places open in Lynchburg after 12:30am. Also good for poor college students because the prices are made for change scrapers: D

Good cheap food served late and crowded. Huge lines but they move fast.

Good old crappy food! Good chicken tenders. Get the tray with the chicken nuggets (3) and give the nuggets to your dog. Not because they’re gross — but because your dog will owe you one down the road.

Wait. People come here without any alcohol in their system? Every time I come here there is a surplus of drunk bodies being incredibly annoying. Granted I’m stopping by in the late hours, but nothing can deter me from a craving for a caramel fudge shake. Especially when I now live in the north east which refuses to acknowledge its greatness. Thrive on, Cookout. You and your inebriated customers will always be a staple for my time in Lynchburg. Oh, but most definitely get the cookout tray. It’s finally responsible for all parties.

Where else can you go for a super cheap. super filling fast food meal with plenty of choices. We always get the cookout trays at $ 5 bucks it’s more food than you need but can’t beat the price! We usually get the double burgers… Add cheese & make it steak style (always juicy and pretty typical for a greasy fast food joint but somehow it’s irresistible when you’re hungry at 2a). Bacon wrap is a must and the quesadilla, chicken wrap and Cajon fries are top picks for the 2^nd side. The Huge sweet tea and crunchable (is that even a word?) ice is amazing.
4 stars for price & quantity… occasionally service is pretty slow at peak hours. Overall a decent late night choice to feed your junk food craving.

Don’t waste your time go to five guy’s. The hamburger is small but well cooked. They don’t have a wide variety of toppings. The chili dog was good.

Great find! Got the 4.99 tray special. Food was great service was quick and very friendly. You can’t beat the price.

Really good fast food, but impossibly slow service, even if the restaurant is ¾ empty. There’s no reason it should take 20 minutes to make a milkshake. To further infuriate you, they will serve the rest of your food first, then you wait for your shake, so you’re guaranteed to have cold fries and a cold burger. Ridiculous.

Listen, Cook Out isn’t trying to be something it’s not. What it is trying to be is exactly what it is. Cook Out is fast food, so it should be rated on that scale. Don’t go to Cook Out looking for a gourmet meal.
I first fell in love with Cook Out during many trips to North Carolina. It got to be kind of a treat when we were there or passing through. When I was living in Clemson, SC, Cook Out had just begun to expand to other states, and we got a huge Cook Out just a few months before I left town. When returning back to Lynchburg, I missed it. Cook Out is not the kind of food you go get often, but, quite frankly, I don’t think any fast food should be. Unfortunately, I feel like Cook Out gets a bad rap, like it’s subpar. I think Burger King is subpar. I guess depending on what you get at Cook Out, some of the food might not seem legit.
OK, so, I honestly haven’t had everything on the menu, not even close, but that’s only because I’ve found what I like and I stick with it, so here’s my favorites:
1. If you’re going to Cook Out, really, you just need to get a tray. It’s an exceptional value. Depending on what Cook Out you visit, you’ll pay somewhere in the $ 4 – 5 range for a main entrée (typically a sandwich), two sides, and a drink. You can also upgrade to a milkshake for $ 1 more.
2. The grilled chicken sandwiches and burgers are legit. None of this fake meat stuff. I honestly, 9 times out of 10 get the Cajun Chicken Sandwich which is a grilled chicken breast which looks and tastes like it was COOKED OUT (get it?), smothered in Texas Pete, on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. They have other variations of this sandwich, but the Cajun is my favorite. The same is true for the burgers. Listen — if you get a Cook Out tray, you can get a single or a double hamburger for the same price. .. soo. .. get the double. The burgers also have different «styles» you can choose from as far as toppings/​flavors.
3. The sides: I almost always get fries because of the portion you get. GET THE CAJUN SEASONING. . trust me. I also love their onion rings, it’s just sad that you only get 4 or 5. The coleslaw is pretty standard. I don’t really care for their hushpuppies or chicken nuggets, but, yes, those are also options. FOR A SIDE. Haha, my husband always gets the quesadillas or the wraps. It’s unbelievable that these count as side items.
4. In the drink category, Cheerwine is always popular because it’s kinda a NC thing, so it’s a novelty in other states. Lynchburg’s Fanta isn’t carbonated, which is a bummer if you’re wanting an orange soda. I typically serve myself an unsweet tea with a splash of sweet. I don’t do a whole lot of soft drinks.
5. The milkshakes. .. more like blizzards. I think Cook Outs milkshakes are way too sweet, but you get a pretty large cup for the price, and the possibilities are simply endless. They have over 30 on the board, but you can also customize it to whatever you’d like to have. Just make sure you get a spoon.
All in all, it’s cheap food that tastes pretty good and is a nice treat from time to time. The staff are always friendly and the service is generally quick. If we ever move from this area of the country, it will certainly be missed.
Also, they’re open super late, especially on the weekends, which is perfect if you’re needing a post-​bar or super late night meal and everything else except McD’s is open.

I’ve been to this location many times. And I love it. Great food, great price. However, the black girl working the drive thru tonight 3÷13÷15 needs to be fired. She asked me to repeat what I wanted on my burger 4 times. And then still rang in tomato on it. I’m allergic to tomato. I could not even eat the food I had paid for. If I hadn’t checked first I could be in the hospital or even not alive to write this.

Yummy! A find myself craving the hush puppies — they are always hot and fresh! Praise God for self control.
4 stars instead of 5 because the line is typically ridiculous and the parking lot has very little order. Would be nice to have someone direct during busy times, like when they first opened.

Fast and great service just too crowded for my taste. Small parking lot that is constantly full. Sometimes it is not worth the trip because of the crowds.

One of my favorite places! Reasonably priced and food is always delicious. Never disappoints!!! Also, you won’t find a better milkshake :)

Stopped in late at the tail end of a long drive. Enjoyed the Cook Out burger and a Coke float. Great prices and tasty food. Dig the college town vibe, too.

Burgers are a tad smaller than Richmond and they give you a little more fries. Great food and great price. Shakes are awesome.

They key to understanding the pull of cookout is the price to quality ratio.
I can take a family of 5 here and eat for less than it costs to go to McDonald’s but the food is vastly better.
If you want a gourmet burger, then you won’t get it at cookout, but you will pay much more for it.
Their burgers are fantastic, and taste like something you would grill yourself and not the processed mystery meet you get from fast-​food. The food is always hot, and tastes fresh.
Their shakes are great, and are vastly better than what you get at any fast food restaurant.
The environment is kid friendly, and we always have a good experience.

You just can’t beat their prices. If there is a better burger joint selling better food at lower prices, I’d live to know about it. Can’t wait to go back! So impressed!

This is a nice place to have a quick casual lunch. The dining room is clean and nicely designed. The music was upbeat and not too loud or quiet. The hot dog was great. It had onions coleslaw chili and mustard.
The problem comes in the ordering process. Be forewarned, you better know what you want before you get to the counter. The order taker has no intentions of offering any help or guidance. She used as minimal amount of words possible. She will not be wasting words on thank you etc.
Again the food is good and the service is awful.