Greensboro, North Carolina • Birthplace of Cook Out • 2026 Guide

Cook Out Greensboro NC — All 7 Locations, Hours & Addresses (2026)

Greensboro is where Cook Out was born. The original location opened on Randleman Road in 1989. Today Greensboro has 7 confirmed Cook Out locations — the chain’s largest concentration outside Charlotte.

From Randleman Road and Battleground Avenue where the chain began, to the UNCG campus area on Spring Garden Street and the High Point Road corridor. This guide covers every Greensboro address, verified hours, and the full story of the city that built Cook Out.

Greensboro, NC — Cook Out Facts
🍕
7
Guilford County locations
🏭
1989
Founded on Randleman Rd
3–4 AM
Typical late-night close
🏠
377
Restaurants chain-wide

This page covers every Cook Out location in Greensboro NC with verified addresses, hours, neighborhood context, and the full history of the chain that started here. Greensboro is also home to Cook Out’s commissary that supplies fresh beef to every NC location daily.

Last verified: July 2026  |  Sources: June 29 2026, Yelp business listings, cookout.com

7Greensboro locations
1989Founded on Randleman Rd
3–4 AMTypical closing time
377Chain-wide restaurants
Greensboro Quick Answer

How Many Cook Out Locations Are in Greensboro NC?

7 locations as of June 2026, national dataset. Greensboro has the second-highest Cook Out concentration of any city in the United States. Only Charlotte, with 13, has more. Greensboro is the chain’s home city. Cook Out was founded here in 1989 on Randleman Road and has never left.

The Greensboro commissary — the central kitchen where Cook Out grinds and patties fresh beef daily for every North Carolina location — is located in Greensboro. Every Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Winston-Salem location gets its beef from Greensboro. The drive from Greensboro to Charlotte is 90 minutes. To Raleigh it is two hours. That radius defines Cook Out’s natural expansion zone.

Greensboro Location Directory

All 7 Cook Out Greensboro NC Locations — Addresses, Hours & Neighborhoods

1. Randleman Road — The Original — 2617 Randleman Rd, Greensboro NC 27406

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

This is where it started. 2617 Randleman Road is the location of the original Cook Out restaurant, opened in 1989 by Morris Reaves. Randleman Road runs south from downtown Greensboro toward Randleman in Randolph County. Reaves built the concept around double drive-thru lanes, commissary-fresh beef, and a tray system that let customers build a full meal for under five dollars. That concept did not change. Everything else about Cook Out scaled from this one location.

The Randleman Road location is the chain’s most historically significant address. Industry journalists and food writers who cover quick-service restaurants have written about this location as the origin point of the largest fast food company most of the country has never heard of. If you are visiting Greensboro, this is the one to go to first.

2. Battleground Avenue — 2602 Battleground Ave, Greensboro NC 27408

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

Battleground Avenue runs north from downtown Greensboro through the Irving Park and Friendly neighborhoods toward the Guilford Battleground National Military Park. The 2602 Battleground Avenue location sits in one of Greensboro’s most heavily trafficked commercial corridors, drawing from the Friendly Center shopping area, the Guilford Hills neighborhood, and the residential streets of Irving Park and Hamilton Lakes.

Battleground and Randleman represent Cook Out’s two original poles in Greensboro — one serving the south side, one serving the north. Every subsequent Greensboro location fills in the gaps between and around these two.

3. High Point Road — 4310 High Point Rd, Greensboro NC 27407

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

High Point Road runs southwest from downtown Greensboro toward High Point, parallel to I-40. The 4310 High Point Road location sits in the commercial strip between the Sherwood Forest neighborhood and the Guilford College area, drawing from the Koury Convention Center corridor and the residential subdivisions between High Point Road and I-40. It also catches traffic from Guilford College Road and the Guilford College campus community.

4. Spring Garden Street (UNCG) — 1401 Spring Garden St, Greensboro NC 27403

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

Spring Garden Street runs west from downtown Greensboro to the UNC Greensboro campus. The 1401 Spring Garden location sits directly adjacent to the UNCG campus, which enrolled approximately 19,000 students in 2025. This is Greensboro’s university Cook Out. UNCG’s dining halls close at 8 PM. The Spring Garden Cook Out stays open past 3 AM. The Spring Garden location also serves the College Hill neighborhood immediately north of campus and the Westerwood community further west.

5. East Market Street (NC A&T) — 1811 E Market St, Greensboro NC 27401

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

East Market Street runs east from downtown Greensboro through the Bennett College and North Carolina A&T State University corridor. NC A&T enrolled more than 13,000 students in 2025, making it one of the largest HBCUs in the United States. The 1811 East Market Street location serves the A&T campus and the surrounding Nocho Park and Lincoln neighborhood communities on the east side of Greensboro.

East Market is one of Greensboro’s most historically and culturally significant corridors. The Woolworth’s sit-in of 1960 happened one mile west of this Cook Out on South Elm Street.

6. Cone Boulevard — 3623 Cone Blvd, Greensboro NC 27405

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

Cone Boulevard runs east from the Battleground Avenue intersection toward the Lawndale Drive commercial corridor and the northeast Greensboro residential neighborhoods. The 3623 Cone Boulevard location serves the Summit Shopping Center area, the Penn Griffin community, and the residential neighborhoods between Cone Boulevard and US-29 Business to the east.

7. Gate City Boulevard — 4119 Gate City Blvd, Greensboro NC 27407

⏰ Hours: Opens 10:30 AM  •  Sun–Thu 3:00 AM  •  Fri–Sat 4:00 AM

Gate City Boulevard is the stretch of US-220 that runs through southwest Greensboro, connecting the city to Asheboro and the NC Zoo to the south. The 4119 Gate City location serves the Westover Hills community, the communities along Holden Road to the north, and the residential neighborhoods between Gate City Boulevard and Randleman Road. It also catches traffic from Piedmont Triad International Airport via I-40 and from Asheboro commuters heading north.

LocationAddressZipOpensNeighborhood
Randleman Rd (Original)2617 Randleman Rd2740610:30 AMSouth Greensboro
Battleground Ave2602 Battleground Ave2740810:30 AMIrving Park / North GSO
High Point Rd4310 High Point Rd2740710:30 AMGuilford College area
Spring Garden St (UNCG)1401 Spring Garden St2740310:30 AMUNCG campus / College Hill
E Market St (A&T)1811 E Market St2740110:30 AMNC A&T / East Greensboro
Cone Blvd3623 Cone Blvd2740510:30 AMNortheast Greensboro
Gate City Blvd4119 Gate City Blvd2740710:30 AMSouthwest Greensboro
Hyperlocal Coverage

What Neighborhoods Do Greensboro’s 7 Cook Outs Cover?

University corridors: Spring Garden Street (UNCG, ~19,000 students) and East Market Street (NC A&T, ~13,000 students — largest HBCU in the US).

North & northwest: Battleground Avenue serving Irving Park, Friendly, Hamilton Lakes, and Guilford Hills — Greensboro’s most trafficked commercial corridor.

South Greensboro (origin): Randleman Road — the founding 1989 location — serving the south side communities along the road to Randleman and Asheboro.

Southwest & airport: High Point Road (I-40 / Guilford College / Friendly Center) and Gate City Boulevard (US-220 / PTI Airport approach / Westover Hills).

Northeast: Cone Boulevard serving the Summit/Lawndale commercial area, Penn-Griffin community, and residential neighborhoods north of I-40.

Late-Night Hours

What Time Does Cook Out Close in Greensboro NC?

Most Greensboro Cook Out locations close at 3:00 AM Sunday through Thursday and 4:00 AM Friday and Saturday. Confirm with your specific location at cookout.com or Google Maps before a late-night visit.

The Spring Garden Street location near UNCG and the East Market Street location near NC A&T stay busiest during the academic year, particularly on Thursday through Saturday nights. The Randleman Road original and Battleground Avenue locations draw steady late-night traffic year-round.

DayOpensCloses (typical)Notes
Monday10:30 AM3:00 AMStandard weeknight
Tuesday10:30 AM3:00 AMStandard weeknight
Wednesday10:30 AM3:00 AMStandard weeknight
Thursday10:30 AM3:00 AMStandard weeknight
Friday10:30 AM4:00 AMLate-night extended
Saturday10:30 AM4:00 AMLate-night extended
Sunday10:30 AM3:00 AMStandard
The Cook Out Origin Story

Why Greensboro — The Cook Out Origin Story

Cook Out was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1989 by Morris Reaves. The first location opened on Randleman Road in south Greensboro. Reaves built the business around three ideas that had not been combined in fast food before: commissary-fresh beef delivered daily from a central kitchen, a double drive-thru lane system that could handle high volume quickly, and a tray meal with two sides and a drink for a single low price.

The commissary model is what makes Cook Out different. Every burger patty at every Cook Out in 11 states is ground and formed fresh at the Greensboro commissary, not shipped frozen from a national supplier. That commissary sits in Greensboro. The 90-minute drive to Charlotte, the two-hour drive to Raleigh, and the 45-minute drive to Winston-Salem are the natural radius from which Cook Out expanded.

Cook Out remained a Greensboro and Triad-area brand for its first several years. The chain expanded into Winston-Salem, High Point, Burlington, and Asheboro before moving into the Triangle and then into South Carolina and Virginia. Every expansion started from the Greensboro commissary supply chain. The chain never franchised. Morris Reaves and his family own every location.

By 2026, Cook Out has 377 restaurants across 11 states from Maryland to Mississippi. Charlotte leads all cities with 13. Greensboro, where it all started, has 7. The city that built the chain is the second most Cook Out-saturated city in the country: the commissary is here, the founding family is here, and the original location on Randleman Road is still open.

Greensboro Ordering Guide

What to Order at Cook Out Greensboro — Menu Prices 2026

The menu is identical at every Greensboro Cook Out. Same commissary-fresh beef, same shakes born in Greensboro, same tray structure. Prices verified July 2026.

ItemPriceCaloriesNotes
the tray that started it all$7.39–$7.991 entree + 2 sides + drink
Junior Trayfrom $5.29Smaller entree, same sides
Milkshake upgrade+$1.00Swap drink for any shake
Big Double Burger (base)$3.99311Order Cookout Style
Cajun Chicken Breast$4.85380Best chicken option
original Greensboro BBQ Sandwich (Piedmont NC pork)$3.99370Vinegar-based — made in NC
Cajun Fries (drive-thru only)$2.39–$2.89350Always over regular fries
Cook Out hushpuppies (side)$1.99300No other drive-thru chain sells these
PB Fudge Milkshake$3.99765Top fan-ranked flavor
Caramel Fudge Shake$3.99~900Berry College #1 ranked
Cheerwine Float$2.39401NC cherry soda since 1917
Local Questions Answered

Cook Out Greensboro NC FAQs

How many Cook Out locations are in Greensboro NC?

7 locations as of June 2026 national dataset. Greensboro has the second-highest Cook Out density of any US city. Only Charlotte, with 13, has more.

Where was Cook Out founded?

Cook Out was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1989 by Morris Reaves. The original location opened at 2617 Randleman Road in south Greensboro and is still open today.

What is the closest Cook Out to UNCG?

The Spring Garden Street location at 1401 Spring Garden St sits directly adjacent to the UNC Greensboro campus, less than a 5-minute walk from the main campus buildings.

What is the closest Cook Out to NC A&T?

The East Market Street location at 1811 E Market St serves the NC A&T State University corridor directly. NC A&T’s main campus on Laurel Street is just off East Market.

What time does Cook Out close in Greensboro?

Most Greensboro locations close at 3:00 AM Sunday through Thursday and 4:00 AM Friday and Saturday. Confirm with your specific location at cookout.com before visiting late at night.

Is there a Cook Out commissary in Greensboro?

Yes. Cook Out’s central commissary, where fresh beef is ground and pattied daily for every NC location, is based in Greensboro. This commissary supplies Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, and all other NC locations with fresh beef every day.

Is Cook Out only in NC?

No. Cook Out has 377 restaurants in 11 states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. It is concentrated most heavily in North Carolina.

Sources: National location dataset June 29, 2026 | Yelp business listings July 2026 | Greensboro News & Record | Cook Out official nutrition PDF. Independent fan site, not affiliated with Cook Out. Always verify hours before visiting.

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