This busy spot near Columbia has a new Cook Out restaurant. Check out where
There’s a new spot for burgers, shakes and more in West Columbia.
Cook Out, the growing chain with restaurants across the U.S., has opened at location at 1413 Charleston Hwy. The new restaurant is on the property that used to be home to a Hardee’s.
The roadside marquee outside the Cook Out exclaimed it as “Open Open Open” on Tuesday morning, and a local Facebook event announced the grand opening for Tuesday.
The arrival of the Cook Out makes for a particularly burger-centric stretch along Charleston Highway. The Cook Out is next door to a Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, and two doors down from a McDonald’s.
Cook Out has an expansive fast food menu, including char-grilled burgers, quesadillas, barbecue sandwiches, corn dogs, onion rings, chicken wraps, chicken tenders and more. It also is known for its famously thick milkshakes, which are available in dozens of flavors.
There are more than 350 Cook Out restaurants nationwide, according to data site ScrapeHero, with most of them being concentrated in the Southeast.
Charleston Highway is a high-traffic roadway filled with commercial businesses. About 26,000 cars per day travel down the section near where Cook Out is, according to state Department of Transportation records.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 11:34 AM.
