Cook Out Kentucky — All 12 Locations, Addresses & Hours (2026)

How Many Cook Out Locations Are in Kentucky?

There are 12 open Cook Out restaurants in Kentucky as of October 2026, according to the Cook Out store locator: Lexington, Frankfort, Winchester, Richmond, Mount Sterling, Morehead, Somerset, Williamsburg, Columbia, Campbellsville, Bowling Green and Murray. Each of those 12 cities has exactly one store, and no Kentucky store is currently listed as coming soon.

The stores follow Kentucky’s main highways. Four sit in the Bluegrass around Lexington, two are on I-64 heading into Eastern Kentucky, four are spread across the Lake Cumberland and south-central part of the state, and two serve Bowling Green and Murray in the west. Big cities such as Louisville, Northern Kentucky, Owensboro and Paducah do not have a Cook Out yet.

• Bluegrass: 4 stores (Lexington, Frankfort, Winchester, Richmond)
• Eastern Kentucky on I-64: 2 stores (Mount Sterling, Morehead)
• Lake Cumberland and I-75 South: 2 stores (Somerset, Williamsburg)
• South Central Kentucky: 2 stores (Columbia, Campbellsville)
• Bowling Green and Western Kentucky: 2 stores (Bowling Green, Murray)

Kentucky is a mid-sized Cook Out state. The table below compares open store counts across every state where the chain operates, using the same October 2026 locator data.

That puts Kentucky seventh of the 11 states on the list, ahead of Mississippi, Florida, West Virginia and Maryland. Neighboring Tennessee has more than three times as many stores, which matters if you live near the state line around Fort Campbell, Middlesboro or the Tri-Cities.

Where Is Every Cook Out in Kentucky?

All 12 open Kentucky stores are listed below in five regions, roughly from the Bluegrass outward. Addresses come from the Cook Out store locator (October 2026). Every card has a Directions button for Google Maps, and Lexington, Frankfort and Bowling Green link to their own city guides.

Which Cook Out Is Closest to Louisville, Cincinnati and Other Kentucky Cities?

If your town is not on the list, the nearest Kentucky Cook Out is usually 25 to 70 miles away. Distances below are straight-line miles from the town center to the store, so driving distance will be a bit longer.

Is there a Cook Out in Louisville? Not yet. The Courier Journal reported in July 2024 that Cook Out planned its first Louisville restaurant in a former Rally’s at 2412 Preston Highway, and a later news report said a construction permit had been filed for an $800,000 renovation, with no timetable for opening. As of October 2026, that site does not appear in the Cook Out locator as open or coming soon, so Frankfort remains the closest store.

Is Cook Out opening in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky? We could not find any Cook Out store listed, open or coming soon, in Northern Kentucky or anywhere in Ohio in the October 2026 locator, and we found no verified news report of a planned Cincinnati-area site. Until that changes, Frankfort and Lexington are the closest stores for Covington, Newport and Florence.

Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Paducah and London also have no Cook Out in the locator data. Use the table above to find your closest option.

When Did Cook Out Come to Kentucky?

Cook Out was founded in 1989 in Greensboro, North Carolina, by Morris Reaves, and was in Kentucky by 2013-2014, when local media covered openings in Frankfort, Murray and Lexington. Only a few Kentucky openings were covered by local media, so the timeline below lists just those.

The pattern is easy to see on a map: every Kentucky Cook Out is in a college town, a county seat or right beside an interstate exit. Opening dates for the other stores (Winchester, Richmond, Mount Sterling, Morehead, Somerset, Columbia, Campbellsville and Bowling Green) were not widely reported, so we have left them out rather than guess.

Which Kentucky Cook Out Is Closest to My Interstate Exit?

Kentucky’s Cook Outs are easiest to reach from I-75, I-64, I-65 and US-27. Six of the 12 stores are within about 2.5 miles of an interstate exit, which makes them practical road-trip stops.

Exit numbers are the nearest interchanges reported by iExit; tap the Directions button on each store card for the exact turn. Most Kentucky stores are drive-thru focused, so a stop rarely adds more than a few minutes to a trip on I-75 or I-64.

Which Kentucky Colleges Have a Cook Out Nearby?

At least nine Kentucky universities have a Cook Out in the same town, which is a big reason these stores stay open until 3 or 4 AM. Here is which store serves each campus.

Night-shift hospital workers have options too. Winchester’s store is close to Clark Regional Medical Center on Hospital Drive, and the Lexington store is a short drive from UK HealthCare’s main campus. Soldiers and families at Fort Campbell are closest to the two Clarksville, Tennessee, stores rather than any Kentucky location.

What Time Does Cook Out Close in Kentucky?

Kentucky stores are built around the drive-thru and walk-up windows, and most do not have an indoor dining room. Late at night the drive-thru is often the only way to order. If you are driving a long way, for example from Paducah to Murray or from Louisville to Frankfort, check the store’s Google Maps listing first. Our Cook Out hours guide covers holidays and drive-thru-only periods.

What Is on the Cook Out Menu in Kentucky, and What Does It Cost?

A Cookout Tray costs about $7.39 to $7.99 in Kentucky, and includes an entree, two sides and a drink. The menu is the same at all 12 stores, so the Williamsburg, Murray and Mount Sterling menus match what you get in Lexington or Bowling Green, though exact prices can vary slightly by location.

First-timer tip: Order a Big Double “Cook Out Style” (chili, slaw, onions and mustard) on a tray with hushpuppies and cheese bites, then swap the drink for a milkshake. Cheerwine, the North Carolina cherry soda, is on the fountain at most stores.

• Cookout Tray: about $7.39–$7.99 (entree + 2 sides + drink)
• Jr. Tray: from about $5.29
• Milkshakes: about $3.99, with 40+ flavors
• Big Double burger: the signature char-grilled double patty
• Payment: cash and cards accepted

Is the Cook Out menu the same in Williamsburg, Murray and Mount Sterling?

Yes. People searching for the Cook Out menu in Williamsburg, KY, the Cook Out Murray, KY, menu or the Cook Out Mount Sterling menu will find the same lineup at each: burgers, char-grilled and Cajun chicken, chicken strips, chopped BBQ, hot dogs, wraps and quesadillas as tray entrees, with sides such as fries, onion rings, hushpuppies, chili, slaw, cheese bites and corn dogs. Prices can differ by a few cents between stores.

See the Cook Out tray menu, the milkshake flavor list, the burger menu and the full Cook Out menu for every option.

How Does Cook Out Compare to Kentucky Favorites?

Cook Out competes in Kentucky on price and late hours rather than local tradition. Kentucky has strong food traditions of its own, and many locals mix both.

• Kentucky Fried Chicken: Colonel Sanders started serving his chicken at a roadside cafe in Corbin, about 16 miles from the Williamsburg Cook Out. Cook Out’s chicken strips and Cajun chicken are a cheaper late-night alternative.
• Ale-8-One: Winchester’s own ginger-citrus soft drink has been bottled in town since 1926. Cook Out pours Cheerwine at most stores, so soda fans in Winchester can try both.
• Long John Silver’s: The seafood chain was founded in Lexington in 1969. Cook Out’s menu has no fish, so the two rarely compete directly.
• The Hot Brown and Owensboro barbecue: Louisville’s open-faced turkey sandwich and Owensboro’s mutton barbecue are sit-down specialties; Cook Out’s chopped BBQ is a North Carolina-style tray option, not a replacement.
• National chains: Compared with Sonic, Wendy’s or McDonald’s, a Cook Out tray usually gets you two sides and a drink for less than one combo meal elsewhere. See our Cook Out vs McDonald’s comparison.

Which Nearby Cook Out Guides Should Kentuckians Know?

Lexington, Frankfort and Bowling Green each have their own guide. For stores just over the Tennessee and Virginia lines, use the state and city guides below.

To search every state at once, use the Cook Out locations finder or browse the full Cook Out locations list.

Cook Out Kentucky FAQs

Answers to the questions people ask most.