Cook Out Drinks Menu 2026 — Cheerwine, Sweet Tea, Floats & Prices

What Drinks Does Cook Out Have?

Cook Out serves Coca-Cola fountain drinks, Cheerwine, fresh-brewed sweet and unsweet tea, Dasani bottled water, a Coke Float, a Cheerwine Float and more than 40 milkshake flavors. Fountain drinks come in Regular, Large and Huge, and tea comes in Large and Huge.

Every Cookout Tray includes a drink. On published tray menus, the drink choices are a Large fountain drink, a Huge tea, a bottle of Dasani water, a Cheerwine or a Coke Float. You can also swap the tray drink for a milkshake for a small upcharge.

• Most iconic: Cheerwine, the cherry soda from Salisbury, North Carolina.
• Best value: a Huge sweet tea, usually around $2 or less.
• Best treat: a Cheerwine Float, Cheerwine poured over vanilla soft serve.
• Zero calories: Diet Coke and similar diet fountain options, unsweet tea or Dasani water.

Cook Out has 370 open restaurants across 11 states as of October 2026, and the drink lineup is broadly the same at all of them, with small differences in fountain flavors and prices.

How Much Are Drinks at Cook Out?

Most Cook Out drinks cost about $1 to $2.60 on their own, floats about $1.79 to $2.59, and milkshakes about $3.99. Published menus from different stores and years show different prices, so use these ranges as a guide and check the menu board at your store.

Taxes, local pricing and periodic menu changes all affect what you pay.

What Is Cheerwine and Why Is It at Cook Out?

Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soft drink created in 1917 by L.D. Peeler in Salisbury, North Carolina, and it is the soda most people associate with Cook Out. Despite the name, it contains no alcohol; the name comes from its burgundy-red color and cheerful character.

Because both brands grew up in the North Carolina Piedmont, Cheerwine at Cook Out feels like a regional pairing rather than a novelty. For travelers from outside the Southeast, a Cook Out drive-thru is often the easiest place to try Cheerwine on fountain, where it tastes a little sharper and fizzier than from a can.

How to order it: ask for “a Large Cheerwine” as your tray drink, or a “Cheerwine Float” if you want it over soft serve. A Huge Cheerwine runs about 290 calories on published nutrition listings.

Does Cook Out Have Sweet Tea?

Yes. Cook Out brews fresh sweet tea and unsweet tea, sold in Large and Huge sizes, and a Huge tea is one of the standard tray drinks. At roughly $1 to $2.60 depending on size and store, it is one of the cheapest drinks on the menu.

Cook Out’s sweet tea is sweet in the Carolina sense, so if you prefer it lighter, ask for a “half and half” (half sweet, half unsweet). It is not a listed menu item, so it is up to the store.

• Large tea: about $0.99–$1.39.
• Huge tea: about $1.79–$2.59, and the default “big drink” for regulars.
• Calories: published listings put a Huge sweet tea at roughly 280–390 calories; unsweet tea is essentially zero.
• On a tray: ask for a Huge tea as your drink at no extra charge.

Tea is also the easiest drink to customize: ask for light ice to get more tea in the cup, or extra ice on a hot day.

What Floats Does Cook Out Serve?

Cook Out serves two floats: the Coke Float and the Cheerwine Float, each made by pouring soda over vanilla soft serve. They cost about $1.79 to $2.59 on their own, and the Coke Float is listed as a tray drink option on published tray menus.

Floats sit between a soda and a milkshake: lighter and fizzier than a shake, but much more filling than a plain drink. If you want ice cream with your tray without paying the shake upcharge, a float is the budget move. For the full soft-serve lineup, see the Cook Out ice cream menu and the desserts menu.

Can You Get a Milkshake as Your Cook Out Drink?

Yes. Cook Out sells more than 40 milkshake flavors for about $3.99, and you can swap one in for the tray drink for a small upcharge. The shakes are thick enough that many people eat them with a spoon.

Flavors named on menus and in reviews include vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter fudge, Butterfinger, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter Oreo, Oreo cheesecake, cherry cheesecake, cookie dough, fresh banana and banana berry. Seasonal flavors such as eggnog and fresh watermelon appear for part of the year, and you can ask for two flavors mixed together.

See every flavor in the Cook Out milkshake menu, and check off-menu combinations in the Cook Out secret menu.

Which Drinks Come With a Cookout Tray?

A Cookout Tray, about $7.39 to $7.99, includes one entree, two sides and a drink; published tray menus list a Large fountain drink, a Huge tea, Dasani water, Cheerwine or a Coke Float as the included choices. A milkshake is available for an upcharge.

Jr. Trays start at about $5.29 and also include a drink. If you are ordering for kids, water or a float keeps the meal simpler than a Huge soda. Learn how the tray works in the Cook Out tray guide and see entree choices in the burger menu and sides menu.

How Many Calories Are in Cook Out Drinks?

Cook Out drinks range from 0 calories (unsweet tea, diet fountain drinks, Dasani water) to about 380 for a float and roughly 510 to 900 for a milkshake. A Huge sweet tea or regular soda can add 250 to 400 calories to a tray, so the drink choice matters as much as the side.

These are approximate ranges from published menus and nutrition listings, which disagree in places because of ice level and cup size. Use the Cook Out calorie calculator to total a full tray, and see the nutrition guide for more. Floats and milkshakes contain dairy; check the allergen menu if that matters to you.

What Are the Best Ways to Order Drinks at Cook Out?

The best-value order is a tray with a Huge tea or a Coke Float as the included drink; the best treat is a Cheerwine Float or a mixed-flavor milkshake. A few simple habits get you a better drink for the same money.

• Say the size. Ask for a “Huge tea” by name on a tray; it is the biggest included drink.
• Ask for half and half. Half sweet, half unsweet tea cuts the sugar without losing the flavor.
• Try Cheerwine once. If you are from outside the Carolinas, Cook Out is one of the easiest places to try it on fountain.
• Use the float as a dessert. A float on a tray covers drink and dessert in one.
• Mix shake flavors. Cook Out will blend two flavors, such as peanut butter and banana.
• Late night: most stores stay open until about 3 AM, 4 AM on Friday and Saturday, so drinks and shakes are available long after other places close. Hours vary; see the Cook Out hours guide.
• Pay how you like: Cook Out accepts cash and cards.

Most Cook Outs are drive-thru and walk-up only, so a cup holder–friendly drink is a good idea. Shakes are very thick, so ask for a spoon if you are eating in the car.

Where Can I See the Rest of the Cook Out Menu?

The full Cook Out menu, trays, milkshakes, sides and desserts each have their own guide. Use these to plan a full order, then find your closest store.

Cook Out Drinks FAQs

Answers to the questions people ask most.