If you’ve never eaten at Cook Out, the first trip can feel overwhelming in the best way. The cookout menu covers char-grilled burgers, Eastern-style barbecue, hot dogs, quesadillas, and a wall of milkshake flavors, and almost everything on it costs less than a fast-casual combo meal anywhere else. This guide breaks down what’s actually on the menu, what it costs, and which items regulars order again and again.
Why Cook Out Built Its Menu Around the Tray
Most first-time customers are surprised that Cook Out doesn’t really sell “meals” the way other chains do. Instead, the entire ordering system is built around the Cookout Tray: pick one main item, two sides, and a drink, and the whole thing rings up for roughly $6 to $12 depending on what you choose. Because the mains, sides, and drinks can be mixed and matched, there are tens of thousands of possible combinations, which is part of why the chain has such a loyal following across the Southeast.
Jr. Trays run a little cheaper and use smaller portions (think two chicken strips or a BLT instead of a half-pound burger), while Regular Trays lean into bigger appetites with options like the Big Double Burger or a full chicken breast plate. Either way, checking the cookout menu with prices before you order helps you land on a combination that actually fits your calorie or budget target for the day, since portion sizes swing pretty widely between the Jr. and Regular lineups.
Burgers, Sauces, and Sizes
Cook Out grills its burgers fresh rather than freezing them, and you can order in four sizes: Small (⅛ lb), Regular (¼ lb), Huge (½ lb), and Big Double, which stacks two ¼-lb patties. Prices generally start around $2.49 for the smallest size and climb to roughly $6.99 for the Big Double.
The topping styles matter as much as the size. The Cookout Style burger: chili, slaw, mustard, and onions is the most-ordered version on the entire cookout menu, but there are half a dozen other builds worth trying, including a Cheddar Style and a Steak Style. If you want to build your own, the sauce lineup is deep: Cajun sauce, Cookout Sauce, honey mustard, cheese sauce, and A1 are all available for a small upcharge, usually under a dollar each.
Cookout Milkshakes: Flavors and Prices
No conversation about this menu is complete without the shake case. Cookout milkshakes are hand-spun to order rather than pulled from a soft-serve machine, and the chain rotates through more than 40 flavors, from straightforward vanilla and chocolate up to specialty combinations like banana pudding, Oreo mint, and peanut butter fudge. Regular shakes typically run $2.99 to $3.99, while the “fancy” flavors with mix-ins cost a bit more.
If you’re building a tray, swapping your drink for a shake usually adds $1.00 to $1.60 to the total, which is a small price for what’s genuinely one of the better fast-food shakes in the category. Reese’s Cup, chocolate fudge, and peanut butter fudge consistently come up as the flavors customers order on repeat, and pairing a shake with a chopped BBQ sandwich is a combination longtime regulars swear by.
Chicken, Sandwiches, and Wraps
Beyond burgers, the chicken lineup is arguably the second pillar of the cookout milkshakes-and-mains combo most people build their tray around. Char-grilled chicken breasts come in six styles: Original, BBQ, Cajun, Club, Cheddar, and Homemade, and land in the $4.85 to $4.99 range. For something crispier, the fried chicken strips and spicy chicken fillet sandwiches deliver more crunch, with the Chicken Strip Club and Spicy Chicken Sandwich among the better sellers.
The wraps deserve a mention too. Cajun, honey mustard, ranch, and bacon ranch wraps each pack roughly 6 ounces of crispy chicken, shredded cheese, and dressing into a grilled tortilla, and they work well as either a tray side or a standalone order for anyone who wants something handheld.
Sides, Fries, and Quesadillas
The side menu is where Cook Out separates itself from typical fast food. Beyond standard fries, there’s Cajun fries, chili cheese fries, jalapeño cheese fries, hush puppies, fried okra, mac and cheese, and a walking taco built from corn chips, chili, and cheese. Most sides fall between $1.99 and $3.99.
Quesadillas are a smaller but popular category, cheese, chicken, and cheeseburger versions are all available individually for around $1.99 or as a tray main. Between the fried sides and the quesadillas, there’s enough variety that two people can order the same tray size and end up with completely different meals.
Hot Dogs and Barbecue
Cook Out’s roots are in char-grilled hot dogs and Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue, and both categories still hold up. Hot dogs come in plain, chili, cheese, bacon cheddar, and “Cookout Style” versions, mostly priced between $1.99 and $2.99. The barbecue is slow-cooked, chopped, and finished with the chain’s house sauce, available as a sandwich or a full plate with two sides.
Drinks, Desserts, and the Kids Menu
Rounding out the cookout menu, the drink lineup includes sweet tea, lemonade, standard fountain sodas, and Cheerwine, a regional cherry soda that shows up in the chain’s signature ice cream floats. Desserts lean toward floats and cheesecake slices, most landing around $2.39.
Families ordering off the cookout kids menu will find smaller burger, hot dog, and chicken strip portions sized for younger eaters, usually bundled with a smaller side and drink at a lower price than the standard Jr. Tray. If you’re picking up a cookout gift card for someone who eats there often, it’s worth noting Cook Out sells them in-store rather than online, so a quick call to your local restaurant confirms denominations and availability before you go.
Ordering, Hours, and Finding a Location
Cook Out doesn’t run its own delivery app, mobile and delivery orders go through third-party platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, so if you’re searching for a cook out mobile menu, that’s where you’ll place the order rather than through an official app. Most locations open at 10:30 a.m. and stay open late, with many running until 3:30 or 4:30 a.m., so if you’re wondering what time Cookout closes, the honest answer is “later than almost anywhere else,” though it’s worth confirming with your specific location since hours vary by market.
Menu availability and pricing can shift slightly by region. Someone pulling up the cook out tallahassee menu may notice small differences from a location checking the cook out dothan menu or the cook out columbus menu, so it’s always worth a quick call or a look at the location page before ordering if you’re chasing an exact price. Photos of the full lineup, useful if you want to browse the cookout menu with pictures before deciding, are typically posted on each location’s page as well.
Final Thoughts
Between the tray system, the shake wall, and the char-grilled mains, the cookout menu covers a lot of ground for a chain that still keeps most items under five dollars. Whether you’re building a tray around a classic Cookout Style burger, working through the milkshake list, or just trying to figure out what’s open at 2 a.m., there’s enough variety here that it rarely gets old, which is probably why the tray, not any single item, is what most people end up talking about after their first visit.