Cook Out — Restaurant in Salisbury

Love BBQ. I would kill a man for a nice, juicy pulled pork sandwich.

That being said, I was in Pennsylvania for four days. My life had been reduced to McDonalds chicken nuggets and shared fries. I longed for the touch of a lover, to cuddle with my dog, anything to remind me of home.

It seemed the vacation was at an end, for when my mother and I began the drive home, our lives took a quick turn for the worse. A back road with no light save for the ones of our own vehicle paired with a screwy internet connection and a faulty GPS LED us into madness. We called for help, my stepfather providing us with the location of a near hotel. It seemed the night wouldn't end- I threw up, shamefully, heart heavy with dread and head pounding. I missed home and longed to be back in my own bed. We stopped at McDonald's again, both starving and desperate for light. I could not eat, my stomach swirling with nausea.

We arrived soon at the Hampton Inn, the bit of security comforting after a near 9 hour car ride. Beside the building, illuminated by the famous neon signs, was Cookout.

We drove through. I saved the treasured meal (despite my nausea, I couldn't help but get two pork barbecue sandwiches) for the hotel, not wanting to sully the experience with the traumatizing sight of the vehicle. My mother and I took refuge in the second floor hotel room and finally, I peeled back the reflective foil to reveal my prize.

Two chopped pork barbecue sandwiches and a large Dr. Pepper. I wept as I ate, for the taste reminded me so much of the Cookout not 5 minutes away from my own home that nostalgia hit me like a freight train, if ever I was in a scenario which would enable me to be attacked brutally by an apathetic locomotive.

After my meal, I collapsed onto the bed in pure, unadulterated elation.

All-in-all, the barbecue has a great texture and the sauce is delicious. The fries are great, not too crunchy or salty but still very flavorful. Good service. A+...

We always stop at this Cookout to and from the beach- it’s a family favorite! The food is consistently good, but my goodness. Yesterday on our drive to the beach the person who took our order had an attitude, no biggie though and wasn’t an issue. Today around 5:30pm we stopped on our way home. I ordered at the drive thru and the guy at the window was super friendly- I was so happy because yesterday they weren’t very nice. When we parked, we realized whoever took our order gave us a wrong side, so I went to the window to ask for the correct side. The nice gentleman at the window was going to get our 5 missing nuggets when a lady (who I assume is manager) stopped him and said no, then demanded to see my receipt. Didn’t say anything to me, and told him to charge me for the nuggets. I explained that we ordered nuggets, and we were given something else instead and she demanded the other side back. I walked back to the car to get the fries and bring them to her. She was so unfriendly with me so I brought my fiancé back with me (it was his food) and she got rude with him too- took his whole box and they took the fries out and put in the nuggets. She did not attempt to communicate with us at all, was yelling she didn’t care that WE made a mistake? A nice guy at the window handed us back the box. It was really unbelievable! The person who took the order apparently took the side order incorrectly- which no big deal- but the lady really made us feel like criminals. A little communication...

My family goes here alot. It's really close to the pit BBQ I get from back home in North Carolina. However, last night my husband and I went and the service was TERRIBLE! I am a GM of a restaurant and I would be replacing my staff if they had talked to my customers the way the spoke to me and my husband. 2 different people were very nasty over the intercom and then at the window, the young man basically threw the food into our vehicle! I asked for double cheese bites with my tray and I got 5 cheese bites! I remember when the service was impeccable and now it's not even mediocre. Customer service is how you keep customers, nobody wants to pay for nasty service! The parties in the parking lot definitely wouldn't be happening at my establishment either, it's not a good look. You guys have fabulous food, but you're going to lose business bases on the service and atmosphere. By the looks of your reviews I'm not the only one who has had this issue. Looks like you need a GM with a backbone and start looking for new employees. I'm grateful for the ones I have because the ones you have are...