Chapel Hill residents and community members will soon have a lot shorter commute to figure out their Cook Out tray orders.

After much speculation — and years of college students’ yearning — it appears the popular fast-food chain Cook Out is set to have a location in the town of Chapel Hill. A new Cook Out sign is constructed at 450 South Elliott Road on the building that formerly housed a Burger King franchise.

The Burger King closed in early 2022, with a corporation owned by the founder of Cook Out buying the 1.7-acre lot in April, according to the News & Observer. The paper reported the sale was for $2 million. The restaurant building was constructed in 1971, with Burger King being there for several decades.

According to the Town of Chapel Hill’s records, a commercial permit and sign permit application were submitted by the new owners in May. The town government then issued a building permit at the end of June for renovation work to begin.

The entrance to a new Cook Out location at 450 South Elliott Road in Chapel Hill. The building may a drive-thru lane since the previous tenant, Burger King, also had one.

Cook Out is known throughout the southern U.S. as an affordable chain with a wide variety of options: burgers, quesadillas, barbeque, corn dogs and milkshakes. The chain began in Greensboro, but has never had a location in Chapel Hill before now. Presently, the closest open location is on Shannon Road in Durham.

One of the barriers to Cook Out making the move to Chapel Hill may have been finding the right location with existing drive-thru lanes. The town government approved an ordinance in 1998 that requires for drive-thrus to apply for a Special Use Permit before beginning construction. While the move effectively deters more drive-thru-style restaurants from being built downtown, there have been some recent examples further from Franklin Street. The Chik-fil-A restaurant recently built in Carraway Village has two drive-thru lanes, while another new location proposed at University Place mall has drive-thru plans as well. 450 South Elliott Road also falls into the Blue Hill district, which is created by form-based code meant to expedite development that fits specific criteria.

If it opens, the South Elliott Road Cook Out location will be near other restaurants like Breadman’s, Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken and Squid’s.

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