This Retro, Inexpensive Burger & Milkshake Joint Called the USA's "Best" Appears to Be Heading to FL

Photo bySteve Webster, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Florida has no shortage of burger joints that Floridians love - both chain restaurants and local establishments.

According to Q105 reporting in the winter of 2022, Food Service Direct ran the numbers to see what Florida's favorite fast food burger joint was and the winner was Wendy's.

And popular independent restaurants for burgers in Florida are Beth's Burger Bar in Orlando, Gilbert's 17th Street Grill in Fort Lauderdale, and Charm City Burger Company in Deerfield Beach.

That said, there's always room for more variety and there is a burger chain that Mashed reported in February of 2023 has a "cult following" which appears to be coming to Florida.

Why the cult following? Because it offers what Mashed called "ridiculously inexpensive" but tasty burgers and milkshakes in tons of flavors. This article will discuss the chain and why it is so popular. And I'll disclose where we might see the first location in Florida.

What's So Special About Cook Out?: This popular burger chain is mostly scattered southeast, but it's currently not in Florida (although that will reportedly change.)

Cook Out is mostly known for its very inexpensive prices, and its tasty burgers, barbeque, and milkshakes. Cook Outs also have late hours, as many are open until 3 a.m.

Cook Out offers a huge assortment of milkshake flavors and offers seasonal favorites like watermelon in the summer and eggnog at Christmas.

It also offers some unique items like fried cheese curds, and portion sizes are very large.

How Cheap is Cook Out?: To demonstrate how inexpensive Cook Out is, let's look at some prices. According to Fast Food Menu Prices, one gets a small hamburger at Cook Out for $2.79 or a double for $2.99.

5 piece chicken nuggets are .99 cents. A two-piece beef or chicken quesadilla is $2.99. A barbecue sandwich is $2.99. Fries are .99, and milkshakes are $2.79.

What Some Reviews Say About Cook Out: Major publications have weighed in on Cook Out. In 2018, USA Today wrote that Cook Out bested other fast food joints in terms of taste and price and a writer for Business Insider in the winter of 2022 said that Cook Out was the "best" fast food joint in the country.

Cook Out is Reportedly Coming to Florida: There is a petition on Change.org to bring a Cook Out to Florida. It has almost 600 supporters.

It looks as if these supporters might be happy, as according to Spoon University reporting in February 2023, Cook Out will reportedly be coming to Tallahassee, which will be the first Florida city to welcome the chain.

And according to the Pensacola News Journal reporting in the spring of 2022, Cook Out is reportedly seeking approval to build a restaurant in Pensacola on E Nine Mile Road.