Cook Out — Restaurant in Murfreesboro

I've been dining at the Cook Out for a couple of years now, visiting at least once a week, always at lunch time. I've NEVER had one single bad experience. Whether I go inside to dine with a group or get my order through the drive-thru, the order is always correct, the staff is always friendly, and the speed of service is always within a range of acceptability. Of course, I am always willing to wait for as long as it takes for fresh food, and it is the freshness that always gives me cause to return! Oh, the burgers, they are always soooo fresh and perfect! The only way to make a burger taste like it is fresh off of the grill is to serve it fresh off of the grill! And the Cook Out Trays are such a good deal! I don't know if this is a complaint or not, but if you order a milkshake you are wasting your time if you put a straw in it because you are going to need a spoon if you want to make any kind of real progress! Also, let's talk about the dual-lane drive-thru! Cook Out does it right! Two lanes, two serving windows, no bottleneck! In fact, this is how every fast-service restaurant should set their drive-thru up! I know some people will hold back on stars or complain majorly over things like "the ice was not cold enough," but I'm not like that. To me, Cook Out is the finest example of a quick-service burger restaurant that exists today! Today I had a Cook Out Tray for lunch with a Big Double Burger (add cheese with everything) a chicken wrap with honey mustard, a corndog, and a large coke for $6.37! I was in the drive-thru for 1 minute and 45 seconds. The burger was still hot enough to burn my mouth when I got back to work with it (this is a "plus" in my book)! My only complaint is there is not a Cook Out location in Mount Juliet (preferably close to the intersection of Lebanon Rd and Mt. Juliet Rd)!

UPDATE...Okay, I'm only going to take one star away, but WOW! I don't know how to order a burger here and get what I want on it! There is ALWAYS something missing from the burger and I'm tired of going back to have them re-make it! "Everything, including tomato and bacon" should get you everything on the burger!!! Including "tomato" and "bacon"! On the last visit they did get the tomato and bacon on there but the onion and pickle was missing! Oh, and when you see a guy standing there with his receipt for 15 minutes you may want to ask if he has received his order yet! Do people just hang around the counter with their receipt like it's the hip thing to do these days? Still, I appreciate being give my order after it made a trip to the lobby with another customer, that was something special there! IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!! You know what, I'm taking another...

When you think about hamburgers, you probably think of the big names. Hardee's is very good but they are never a quick stop. Whataburger is the new guy in town, pretty good as well I guess, and I have eaten there a few times but oh my, slow. Last visit, I went inside and my wait from order to pickup was over 20 minutes. For a bagged burger, that's too long. And it was dry too.

So, who else do you have in take away burgers - RBI's Burger King and Wendy's? I'm off-pattern with Wendy's (I owe them a visit) and Burger King - the parent company is adrift in politics? Can I not just get my food politics free? Is that too much to ask for? They wasted so much money on the "Impossible Whopper" - and then stuck with it long into the fail. Someone, at some point, is going to pay for that misjudgement. I just want my meal without a lecture - or, being tracked by an app. I just want my food fast.

There's one big name out there trying to app me or force me to do the burger world's version of self-checkout. NO! I just want my meal without having to do their job for them or an app tracking me, slowing down my phone, and being just one more potential cyber risk. It's probably safe, but you know what's safer yet? No flipping app and still fast service. How long should it take to bag a burger anyway? Should I need to "phone ahead?" Maybe I get stuck in traffic, do I want my food ready before me?

And if I have to check myself in - or out - I want 10% discount. At one place my $1 sausage biscuit is darn near $2 now! I swear it feels like I'm having to pay extra for the machines they are pushing me use serve myself with. I refuse for as long as I have options. And Cook Out is an option.

Cook Out is fast with 2 lanes. I'm sure they have slower service during a rush. Who doesn't? They aren't perfect (stay away from that taco meat and cheese in a chip bag - not for me) Lol, just trying to be fair. Most of their sides are good - and a little different. I like the Cajun chicken wrap and bacon wrap. Onion rings and burgers are good. Maybe there are larger portions out there as well as some smaller.

Perhaps Cook Out is not a big name but give them a try -...

When the food is made well it's very tasty. However, the consistency is very random and I've had multiple drive through orders with the wrong items or missing items. I ALWAYS check my drinks before I leave the drive thru because multiple times I've gotten sodas that were only seltzer water. I regularly order the queso sauce (super tasty on nuggets and fries!!) but without fail, unless it's a manager, the staff usually doesn't know what it is, or they consistently forget to put it in the bag (and they charge you, which is fine, but not when they forget it). My largest complaint is the lack of customer service. I've had a few positive visits where I was served by a manager or a long standing employee who gave me my correct order the first time, repeated my order back, made sure I had everything i needed and was overall pleasant. 8/10 I get a very short and rude employee who forgets my sauces/ extra napkins, slams the widow shut before I'm done asking a question, doesn't make sure I have everything I need, and when they do forget something that I requested, they seem irritated to fix the simple problem. They always rush you through the line even if you need things.

Other than the rude and forgetful staff who don't have proper service training, the food is tasty, the price is affordable, and it's conveniant. When it's good, it's great, but when the service is bad and my quesadilla is burnt on the outside and not melted inside and I'm washing it down with seltzer water and I have no dipping sauce, I question my own judgement. Also, I spent YEARS in the hospitality/food industry. I only critique because these issues have been consistent for months. Step it up, Cookout. You're better than this. (The new Memorial location...