Cook Out — Restaurant in Durham

First time eating at Cook Out. I went to Hillsborough Road location up the road from Duke Hospital.

The food: I got the $5.99 junior tray with "small burger," two sides (bacon wrap and cheese bites) and milkshake upgrade (blueberry cheesecake at $1.60 extra.

--The "small burger" was about the size of a regular Wendy's junior bacon cheeseburger, before Wendy's made the burgers smaller. The taste was similar but fresher. I paid $0.50 for cheese and $0.10 for tomato and chose not to pay for extras like bacon. The tomato was well worth it but next time might skip the cheese and upgrade to the regular $7.99 tray instead for their bigger burger. --The bacon wrap did have a more than usual amount of bacon. But it did not have much other filling so it tasted essentially like pieces of bacon wrapped in tortilla. I'd rather have the bacon on my burger. --The cheese bites were white cheddar in like a fried bread crumb. Think white cheddar Cheezits meets nugget. I liked the different flavor but would have liked a sauce. --The blueberry milkshake was impressive! Much too thick to drink with a straw. Thankfully the cashier gave a spoon unasked. This is not really a milkshake, but a soft serve similar to Goodberrys vanilla concrete. There was actual blueberry pieces in my milkshake and cheesecake flavor was not artificial tasting like I feared (they serve cheesecake slices as well). Would definitely order again.

The price: $8.80 for a burger, two sides and a full size milkshake is not bad, especially for this area. The reality is though the price has increased from what I see in other photos, where the price of a regular tray is now the price of a junior tray. All things considered, I feel I got a good deal. However, it did feel like Cook Out was cheaping out by upcharging for $0.10 tomato and $0.50 cheese... those are pretty standard ingredients for burgers!

The packaging: I appreciated my burger and bacon wrap were both wrapped in aluminum foil. It stayed warm even as I walked a while trying to find a place to sit (there's Duke Gardens thirty minute walk away and also a golf course and Elleebee park). A+ for thoughtfulness as the cashier asked if I needed a bag.

Location: Has walk-up window for those on foot. You have to walk straight up to the window for the cashier there to open the window. They may not automatically open it. I appreciate this walk-up window but make no mistake this is primarily a drive through or pick up location. I didn't see tables and chairs around. And anyway it's difficult to get to as you cross highway roads without cross signs. Besides this though, this spot is a little fast food Mecca as there is a Bojangles, Krispy Kreme, Wendy's and Zaxbys all nearby.

The service: Must have had great luck, as the cashier (a Latino man) might have been the nicest cashier I've met in Durham yet. He was helpful about everything. The service was also extremely quick as he was calling out my order even before I was finished ordering. There wasn't a long line at around 6pm.

Overall: I was very much impressed with the milkshake, because at Goodberrys something of that size and flavor would cost $8 alone, not including any meal! I liked my food, it's packaging and overall service experience. The location is not very suited for people taking the bus. I would probably plan to spend $10-$12 next time for the full experience of the regular tray and the...

Jocelyn, or whomever the supposed manager was, displayed terrible customer service, laziness, and an attitude. The cashier spent more time sternly telling me that I couldn't order from an open drive thru lane than it would have taken for me to be on my way with food in hand. Then, after waiting in front of the walk-up window, the manager then spent equally as long wasting customers time to try and tell my Uber driver that he was wrong for assuming an open drive thru was actually operational. All the while, I'm politely asking if they could please just take my order( and stop trying to make up excuses). Even after giving in to their demand to order elsewhere despite after already having waited. Politeness soon faded as they continued to openly go on their crusade against someone thinking that they could order at an open lane window, continuing quite loudly about it despite the cause being their inability to mark or close the lane, and then wasting over 10 minutes rudely telling me how right they were for the sake of not making customers wait while also not having to work to hard. The conclusion was even worse when the manager continued her attitude and eye rolling with small jabs at my lack of assuming 2 hot dogs, 2 cheese bites, and a drink constitutes a cook out tray. Once again, the righteous lady put me in my place sternly asking me how is she supposed to know it's a tray unless I specify? Even more time wasted. The breaking point was when she handed out another customers food and drink( that ordered well after me) and closed the window in my face when I asked for my drink, her name, and someone to inform of their idea of how to treat people and prioritize a chance to tell someone off instead of just respecting everyone's time by...

Disappointing Experience at Cook Out in Hillsborough, NC 5/24/25 at 6:28pm

Dear Cook Out Team,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share some honest feedback about a recent visit to your Hillsborough, NC location.

While visiting my grandson at Duke Hospital in Durham, I had a strong craving for a Cook Out hamburger—something I hadn’t enjoyed in about eight years. I still vividly remember my last experience in Elizabeth City, NC, where the burger tasted like it came straight off a backyard grill. It was one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever had, and I was hoping to relive that same experience.

Unfortunately, my visit to the Hillsborough location fell far short of those expectations. I placed a $27.01 order (Order #1319) and was helped by a cashier named William. The hamburger didn’t have that distinct grilled flavor—it tasted more like it had been cooked on a stove, and the meat lacked the quality I remembered. Additionally, the fries were extremely greasy and unappetizing. I ended up discarding the entire order, which was both disappointing and frustrating.

I’m sharing this not out of anger, but in the hope that this feedback reaches the owner or management team. Cook Out has built a great reputation for quality and consistency, and I hope this location can strive to meet those standards moving forward.

Thank you for your time, and I appreciate your attention to...