After weeks of preparation and changes to the site, a Cook Out franchise opened on South Elliott Road in Chapel Hill on Friday.

The North Carolina-based fast food chain had its latest of 300+ locations open its doors to the public Friday afternoon, drawing a crowd late into the evening. The restaurant is one of the few in Chapel Hill with a drive-thru lane — a left-over feature from the Burger King location that housed the space before — and drivers lined up through the night to pick up their trays of burgers, quesadillas, milkshakes and more.

The drive-thru lane wraps around the building, with cars navigating the parking lot to get to the lanes immediately off South Elliott Road.

Inside, customers can sit and eat their meals after ordering at the counter. While many Cook Out franchises are exclusively drive-thru, the interior of the prior Burger King allowed for seating to remain. There are fresh coats of Carolina blue and Tar Heel memorabilia throughout the dining area — which is consistent with other Cook Out locations that feature decor of local colleges or high schools.

The main dining room of the new Cook Out in Chapel Hill.

UNC decorations in the Chapel Hill Cook Out.

A UNC flag hangs near where Cook Out customers can pick up their indoor orders.

The Burger King franchise closed in early 2022 after having been constructed in 1971. A corporation owned by the founder of Cook Out bought the 1.7-acre lot shortly after, according to the News & Observer. Chapel Hill community members then saw further proof of the fast food chain preparing to open a new location through the town government’s records and a new sign being constructed on the building in July.

After seeing photos from the restaurant, some Twitter users immediately pointed out the similarities to the prior Burger King.

Others were more complimentary, and some looked past the decor to just express their excitement of the fast food chain opening a more local location.

Cook Out’s traditional hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. each day. For those looking for other local locations, there are franchises on Shannon Road and Allendown Drive in Durham, while the News of Orange County reports another may soon be coming to Hillsborough.

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