News

Cook Out coming to Highway 64 East

Cook Out filed a site plan for a new restaurant on U.S. 64 East south of Howard Gap Road.

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 21, 2016

Cook Out, the hamburger chain that touts its never-frozen ground beef, friendly service and big selection of milkshake flavors, is coming to Hendersonville.

The fast-growing Thomasville-based chain has filed a site plan with the Hendersonville planning department to build a drive-through restaurant on the southwest corner of U.S. 64 East and Howard Gap Road across from a competitor, Sonic Drive-In.
“I’m leasing to them,” property owner Boyd L. “Bub” Hyder said.
Hyder said he dealt directly with Jeremy Reaves, the company CEO and son of founder Morris Reaves. “He’s one of the best fellows I’ve ever dealt with as far as leasing property.”
Hyder said once he started negotiating with Reaves, he showed him two other parcels in other counties that the Cook Out executive also agreed to lease.
“I think they want to start building about February,” Hyder said. “You know how the permitting system works in Henderson County and all these counties. It takes forever.”
The restaurant, which will displace an existing carwash and one row of storage units, is zoned C-3, a commercial category that allows that use. The 2-acre parcel is valued on the tax books at $1.6 million.
The site plan shows that the company plans a 3,700-square-foot building with 70 seats and 35 parking spaces.
Cook Out, which has close to 200 locations, was started in 1989 in Greensboro. The privately held company is known for its burgers, chicken sandwiches and hotdogs grilled “outdoors style” and its menu of 40 milkshake flavors, including chocolate cherry, mocha, peach cobbler, fresh watermelon (in the summer), egg nog (in December), walnut, peanut butter banana and candy bar flavors.
Unlike many of its competitors, Cook Out ranges beyond grilled burgers and hot dogs to offer barbecue sandwiches, BLTs, hushpuppies and chili cheese fries. Its “Cook Out Style” burgers come with chili,
mustard, slaw and onion, an option many North Carolinians know
as “all the way.” Packages come printed with “God Bless America” and Bible verses.