New Cook Out Locations — 18 Stores Coming Soon (2026 Tracker)

How Many New Cook Out Locations Are Coming Soon?

Cook Out’s official store locator lists 18 restaurants as “Coming Soon” in October 2026: 5 in Tennessee, 5 in North Carolina, 4 in Virginia, 2 in Alabama and 1 each in South Carolina and Florida. None of the 18 has a publicly announced opening date, so this tracker lists each address, the nearest Cook Out that is already open and any dated local news we could find.

Last updated: October 2026. At the same time, the locator shows 370 open Cook Out restaurants across 11 states. If all 18 coming-soon stores open, that would make 388.

Three patterns stand out in the list:

• Nashville is the biggest cluster. Three of the 18 are in Davidson County: Harding Mall Drive in south Nashville, Old Hickory Boulevard in Hermitage and Hickory Hollow Lane in Antioch.
• Hampton Roads gets three. Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Yorktown are all on the coming-soon list, each within about 3 to 5 miles of an existing store.
• Small towns are filling gaps. Biscoe, Siler City, Richlands, South Boston, Lawrenceburg, Fort Payne, Albertville and Seneca have no Cook Out of their own today; for several, the nearest store is 20 to 40 miles away.

Want a store that is open tonight instead? Use the Cook Out locations finder or browse the full Cook Out locations list.

Where Are the New Cook Out Locations in Tennessee?

Tennessee has the most coming-soon Cook Outs: three in the Nashville area (Harding Mall Drive, Hermitage and Antioch), one on Austin Peay Highway in Memphis and one on North Locust Avenue in Lawrenceburg. The state has 40 open stores today, so these five would bring it to 45.

*Straight-line distance between the two stores’ map coordinates on Cook Out’s store locator, rounded to a tenth of a mile; driving distance is longer.

Nashville area. The three Davidson County sites fill in the south and east sides of Nashville. Today, Nashville’s open stores are on West End Avenue, Gallatin Pike and Charlotte Pike. Harding Mall Drive sits in south Nashville, Hermitage is on the east side along Old Hickory Boulevard, and the Antioch site is on Hickory Hollow Lane. WhatNow Nashville reported on March 27, 2025, that the Antioch address was then home to a KFC that Google showed as temporarily closed, and that it was unclear when Cook Out would open there. On August 22, 2025, the same outlet reported the Hermitage site as “coming soon” on Cook Out’s website, with no opening date. The Tennessean also listed all three Nashville-area sites and reported that Cook Out had not specified an opening timeline.

Memphis. WhatNow Memphis reported on August 17, 2025, that Cook Out had filed papers with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development for 3240 Austin Peay Highway, a 1,790-square-foot storefront that previously housed a Checkers. At that time the chain appeared to be in the early phase of local approvals, and the outlet said an opening timeline could not be estimated. The address is in the Raleigh area of north Memphis, about 6.7 miles from the store the locator lists as Memphis – Bartlett on US Highway 64.

Lawrenceburg. We found no dated local news about the North Locust Avenue site. It would be a meaningful addition for south-central Tennessee: the nearest open Cook Out is across the Alabama line in Florence, about 38.6 miles away in a straight line. Until it opens, see the Cook Out Tennessee guide for every open store in the state, or the Nashville guide for the city’s current locations.

Where Are the New Cook Out Locations in North Carolina?

North Carolina has five coming-soon Cook Outs: Woodland Beaver Road in east Charlotte, plus Zebulon, Richlands, Siler City and Biscoe. With 144 open stores, the chain’s home state already has far more Cook Outs than any other, so most of these new sites fill gaps in smaller towns.

*Straight-line distance between the two stores’ map coordinates on Cook Out’s store locator, rounded to a tenth of a mile; driving distance is longer.

Charlotte – Woodland Beaver Road. This east Charlotte address (ZIP 28215) is about 6 miles from the Albemarle Road and North Sharon Amity Road stores and about 6.9 miles from the Harrisburg store on Z-Max Boulevard. It already appeared on Cook Out’s coming-soon list in USA TODAY roundups, but we found no dated report of a construction schedule. See the Charlotte guide for the city’s open stores.

Zebulon. WhatNow Raleigh reported on August 15, 2025, that construction plans filed earlier that year with Zebulon showed a 4,700-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru at 1206 North Arendell Avenue, and that the opening timeline was unclear. Eastern Wake County drivers currently head to Knightdale (about 9.7 miles) or Raleigh’s Capital Boulevard store (about 14.9 miles). The Raleigh guide lists the Triangle stores.

Richlands. The Richlands Highway site in Onslow County would sit about 11.5 miles from the Marine Boulevard store in Jacksonville. When USA TODAY asked about it, neither local officials nor the company had responded, and we found no later dated update. See the Jacksonville, NC guide.

Siler City and Biscoe. Both towns sit in the middle of a gap between existing stores. Siler City’s nearest open Cook Out is in Asheboro, about 20.7 miles away; Biscoe’s is in Albemarle, about 21.4 miles away, with Asheboro close behind at 22.8. We found no dated news on either site, so treat them as locator listings only. The Siler City guide and Asheboro guide cover the closest current options, and the Cook Out North Carolina guide lists every open store in the state.

Where Are the New Cook Out Locations in Virginia?

Virginia has four coming-soon Cook Outs: Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, Western Branch Boulevard in Chesapeake, Yorktown, and Old Halifax Road in South Boston. Virginia has 42 open stores today; these four would bring it to 46.

*Straight-line distance between the two stores’ map coordinates on Cook Out’s store locator, rounded to a tenth of a mile; driving distance is longer.

Virginia Beach – Independence Boulevard. This is the longest-running site on the list. Virginia Business reported on July 11, 2021, that the former KFC building at 1010 Independence Boulevard sold for $2.44 million to Cook Out – Virginia Beach Inc., and that the buyer planned to open a Cook Out there. More than five years later, the locator still shows it as coming soon, and we found no announced opening date. The Virginia Beach guide lists the city’s open stores, including Indian River Road about 5.6 miles away.

Chesapeake – Western Branch. The Western Branch Boulevard site would be Chesapeake’s second Cook Out. Today the closest store is on Victory Boulevard in Portsmouth, about 4.4 miles away. No dated opening news was found. The Norfolk guide covers the nearby South Hampton Roads stores.

Yorktown. The York County site is only about 3.2 miles from the Jefferson Avenue store in Newport News, so it mainly adds a closer option for Yorktown and the upper Peninsula. No dated opening news was found.

South Boston. Halifax County has no Cook Out today. The nearest is in Roxboro, North Carolina, about 23.3 miles away, followed by Danville at about 30.2 miles. No dated news was found. Check the Cook Out Virginia guide for every open store in the state, or the Roxboro guide for the closest one.

Where Is Cook Out Opening in Alabama, South Carolina and Florida?

The other four coming-soon stores are a second Tallahassee store on West Tennessee Street, Seneca in South Carolina’s Upstate, and Albertville and Fort Payne in northeast Alabama. None had an announced opening date in the dated sources we found.

*Straight-line distance between the two stores’ map coordinates on Cook Out’s store locator, rounded to a tenth of a mile; driving distance is longer.

Tallahassee – West Tennessee Street. Tallahassee won a Cook Out Twitter poll in April 2022, according to WTXL, with 46.3% of nearly 65,000 votes. The city’s first store, on North Monroe Street in a former Hardee’s, held a soft opening on Monday, November 10, 2025, WTXL reported. The West Tennessee Street address, about 2 miles from North Monroe, is on the locator as coming soon; local coverage we found did not mention it. The Tallahassee guide has details on the open store.

Seneca, South Carolina. The ByPass 123 site in Oconee County would be about 7.9 miles from the Tiger Boulevard store in Clemson. We found no dated news. South Carolina already has 52 open stores; see the Cook Out South Carolina guide.

Albertville and Fort Payne, Alabama. These two are the most isolated sites on the list. Albertville’s nearest open Cook Out is in Gadsden, about 22.8 miles away; Fort Payne’s is also Gadsden, about 32.5 miles, with Rome, Georgia, at about 34.8 miles. We found no dated news on either. Alabama has 15 open stores; the nearest live guides on this site are Decatur, AL and Chattanooga.

When Will the New Cook Out Locations Open?

Cook Out has not announced an opening date for any of the 18 coming-soon stores in sources we could find. Some sites have dated paperwork in local news, such as a property sale, filed construction plans or a planning application, but none of those reports gives an opening day.

A few things to keep in mind when reading this table:

• Coming soon is not a schedule. The Virginia Beach site has been tied to Cook Out since a 2021 sale and still shows as coming soon in October 2026.
• Listings can disappear. USA TODAY reported that Charlotte officials confirmed 3704 W. W.T. Harris Blvd. had been slated to be a Cook Out, but the address later dropped off the company’s site.
• Sites can move. In Kill Devil Hills, officials told USA TODAY that the company sold an earlier property at 2005 S. Croatan Highway in 2022. The store the locator now lists as open there is at 1513 S Croatan Hwy.
• Old listings do turn into stores. Several addresses from earlier coming-soon roundups now appear as open stores on the locator, including 715 Charlottetowne Ave in Charlotte, 1909 Skibo Rd in Fayetteville, 2809 Franklin Rd in Roanoke, 1251 West Main St in Salem, 3354 Montgomery Hwy in Dothan, 2550 South McKenzie St in Foley, 3626 Mundy Mill Rd (listed as Oakwood, GA), 6175 White Horse Road in Greenville, SC, and 14016 Beach Blvd in Jacksonville, FL.

We will update this page when a dated source reports an opening. Until then, “no announced opening date” is the honest answer for all 18.

Which New Cook Out Locations Opened Recently?

Recent Cook Out openings confirmed by dated local news include Bristol, Tennessee (January 2025), Pensacola (July 2025), Tallahassee’s North Monroe Street store (November 2025) and Jacksonville, Florida’s Beach Boulevard store (July 2026). All four now appear as open stores on Cook Out’s locator.

Florida is the newest Cook Out state. Pensacola was the chain’s first Florida restaurant in July 2025. By October 2026 the locator shows 5 open Florida stores: Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa (16215 N. Dale Mabry Hwy) and Temple Terrace (5501 E Fowler Ave), with the second Tallahassee store listed as coming soon. We did not find dated opening reports for the Tampa and Temple Terrace stores, so they are not in the table.

The Jacksonville store shows how long the process can take. The Jacksonville Daily Record reported in May 2025 that Cook Out bought the closed Freddy’s site on Beach Boulevard. It reported a permit application in August 2025 and the permit being issued in November 2025. Action News Jax covered the opening at the end of July 2026, a little over a year after the purchase.

Bristol opened in stages. When WCYB reported the drive-thru opening on January 2, 2025, a sign outside said lobby service would begin in February. Phased openings like this are worth knowing about: a new store’s drive-thru may be running before its dining room.

How Can You Tell When a New Cook Out Is About to Open?

The most reliable sign is the store’s listing on Cook Out’s official store locator changing from “Coming Soon” to a normal open listing; local TV and newspaper reports are the next best signal. Permits and construction help you gauge progress, but they do not guarantee an opening on any particular date.

• Watch the locator listing. Coming-soon stores carry “(Coming Soon)” in their names. When a store opens, that label is removed and it is listed like every other store. Search Cook Out’s official store locator by city or ZIP code.
• Follow local news. Openings in this tracker were first reported by local outlets: WCYB for Bristol, WTXL for Tallahassee, the Pensacola News Journal and Action News Jax for Florida. Local news also covers soft openings, which may come a day or more before full service, as in Tallahassee.
• Look for permit and planning filings. Commercial building, alteration and site-plan filings show up on city and county websites and in outlets like WhatNow and the Jacksonville Daily Record. A filed plan means work is being prepared, not that a date has been set. Timelines vary a lot: Jacksonville took about eight months from permit to opening, while Virginia Beach has been listed for years.
• Watch the site itself. Signage, construction crews and hiring signs are common signs that a store is getting closer. WCTV reported signage already up on North Monroe Street in September 2025, about seven weeks before Tallahassee’s soft opening.
• Be wary of rumors. Social posts and listicles sometimes name towns that are not on the locator. If an address is not listed as coming soon or open on the locator, treat it as unconfirmed.

Once a store opens, hours usually follow the chain’s pattern of opening at 10:30 AM and closing around 3 AM Sunday through Thursday and 4 AM Friday and Saturday, but hours vary by store and new stores sometimes start with shorter hours. Check the Cook Out hours guide and the store’s posted hours before a late-night run.

Which States Is Cook Out Expanding In?

Cook Out’s coming-soon list adds stores in six of its 11 states, and the biggest relative growth is in Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. North Carolina is still home to 144 of the 370 open stores, about 39% of the chain.

Counts come from Cook Out’s store locator in October 2026. “Change” is the coming-soon count divided by the current open count, so it shows how much each state’s store count would grow if every listed store opened.

• Florida: from zero stores before July 2025 to five open plus one coming soon. One more store would mean 20% growth.
• Tennessee: five new sites, tied with North Carolina for the most, with the Nashville area getting three. See the Tennessee guide.
• Virginia: four new sites, three of them in Hampton Roads. See the Virginia guide.
• Alabama: two sites in the northeast corner of the state, where the nearest stores are now 20 to 35 miles away.
• No coming-soon stores: Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, West Virginia and Maryland have none listed in October 2026. That does not rule out future stores; it means none are on the locator yet. See the Georgia guide for that state’s 46 open stores.

Cook Out was founded in 1989 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina. Its 11 states run from Maryland to Florida and west to Mississippi and Kentucky.

Where Can You Get Cook Out Before Your New Store Opens?

Every coming-soon site in this tracker has an open Cook Out within about 39 miles, and 12 of the 18 are within about 12 miles of one. The closest are Tallahassee’s West Tennessee Street site (2.0 miles from North Monroe Street) and Yorktown (3.2 miles from Newport News).

Quick picks by area:

• Nashville, Hermitage, Antioch: West End Ave, Gallatin Pike and Charlotte Pike in Nashville; Gallatin Pike N in Madison; Sam Ridley Pkwy W in Smyrna. Nashville guide.
• Hampton Roads: N Military Hwy in Norfolk, Indian River Rd in Virginia Beach, Victory Blvd in Portsmouth and Jefferson Ave in Newport News. Norfolk guide, Virginia Beach guide.
• East Charlotte: Albemarle Road and N. Sharon Amity Road. Charlotte guide.
• Eastern Wake County: North Smithfield Rd in Knightdale. Raleigh guide.
• Onslow County: South Marine Blvd and Western Blvd in Jacksonville. Jacksonville, NC guide.
• Chatham, Montgomery and Randolph counties: E. Dixie Drive in Asheboro and Leonard Ave in Albemarle. Asheboro guide, Albemarle guide.
• Tallahassee: 1942 N Monroe St. Tallahassee guide.

Once you are there, the classic order is a Cookout Tray, an entree, two sides and a drink for about $7.39 to $7.99 depending on the store, or a Jr. Tray from about $5.29. See the tray menu, the milkshake menu with 40+ flavors at about $3.99, and the full Cook Out menu.

New Cook Out Locations FAQs

Answers to the questions people ask most.