Cook Out in Lebanon, Tennessee is one of the few dining options after midnight. It was the only fast food restaurant that I was aware of before Whataburger opened up on July 18, 2022. Whataburger is across the street from Cook Out. Whataburger is opened 24/7 whereas Cook Out is open until either 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. The following is a review with photos of the food.
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Whataburger in Lebanon, Tennessee Review
I blogged about my Whataburger trip after visiting them on their second night of customer service. I review my order of a Whataburger, Whatachick’n sandwich, chocolate malt, and a cinnamon roll. Spoiler alert: I gave them two positives, one neutral, and one negative. I also wanted to check them out at a later date to try a different item on their menu.
Why am I Reviewing Cook Out in Lebanon, Tennessee?
There’s a proverb that states “Curiosity killed the cat.” My arteries are that cat. I’ve eaten my second hamburger this week. Before that, I estimated that I had maybe eaten two hamburgers in the last 15 years. I rarely eat red meat and almost never consume hamburger. The truth is that I became super curious after seeing the huge drive thru lanes at the new Whataburger. Was their food that good and was it that much better than nearby eateries that are now getting little to no traffic?
My Condolences to Cook Out in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Is Cook Out the new Kentucky Friend Chicken (KFC) of this town? I always feel so bad for KFC when I drive past it. The KFC parking lot and drive thru are either bare or completely empty. They’re directly across from the Chick Fil-A that has cars lined up in full at both of their drive thrus.
I went to Cook Out around 10:45 p.m. There was one other car in the drive thru. The Whataburger drive thru remains packed. It was nice to get out of the Cook Out drive thru in three minutes as opposed to the 20 to 25 minutes at Whataburger. It’s funny because the Cook Out in Murfreesboro, TN off Memorial Boulevard is often packed as late as 2:30 a.m. It’s not as bad as Whataburger but there’s still about six to eight cars in one drive thru. The rest of the city is a ghost town other than a few cops who are trying to catch speeders or inebriated idiots.
Cook Out Lebanon, Tennessee: The Lineup
I spent $13.89 on a steak style char-grilled hamburger, an original char-grilled chicken breast sandwich, and a watermelon milkshake. At Whataburger, I spent $17.52 on a very similar meal that had a large cinnamon roll. The Whataburger meal had much larger food portions. My initial reaction is that Whataburger offers more bang for the buck.
Is it worth it to wait nearly 10 times as long for a Whataburger meal instead of a Cook Out meal?
Cook Out Lebanon, Tennessee: Review
Steak Style Char-Grilled Hamburger (440 calories)
I didn’t even realize until I uploaded the image that this hamburger kind of looks like it has a pentagram burnt into the middle of it. I was expecting straight lines across the meat. More on how my milkshake may have saved me from this pentaburger phenomenon.
The first problem is that there’s no lettuce. I asked for no grilled onions and no mayonnaise. I reviewed my receipt and have confirmed that there’s nothing about excluding lettuce. The menu states that it comes with lettuce. This is the first of THREE errors on my order.
This tiny hamburger doesn’t look the least bit appetizing. The tomato was dry and lacked flavor. The A1 steak sauce looks like the innocent blood of a poor soul who fell into the hands of a Satanic cult. I can’t even remember what the bread tasted like although it was soft.
This should’ve been the superior hamburger. On my Whataburger review, I talked about how home grilled hamburgers are far superior to fast food options. This is a lot closer to what I’d expect from someone grilling at home. It’s just a very bad one.
Whataburger, 1-0.
Original Char-Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich (400 calories)
This was pretty good although it’s way too small. It was a lot different than the chicken sandwiches that I’ve eaten at other restaurants. The slightly burnt flavor was nice. I didn’t notice much of anything from the tomato nor bread. Once more, they forgot to put the lettuce on it.
Neither Whataburger nor Cook Out had the greatest chicken sandwiches. However, both of them were good enough to eat. I’d recommend the Whatachick’n sandwich if for no other reason than it’s bigger and they’ll put the correct condiments on it. Whataburger put lettuce on my chicken sandwich so they win.
Whataburger, 2-0.
Watermelon Milkshake (510-900 calories)
Let’s start with what I said about Cook Out milkshakes in my Whataburger review:
I’d definitely buy this over those Cook Out milkshakes where it’s as if I’m trying to suck a bowling ball through the straw. You can have 40 flavors but it doesn’t matter when the process to drink it is so unpleasant. Those Cook Out milkshakes are almost as bad as those Sonic cream pie shakes where they had to give you that super straw that still barely did what it needed to do.
Me, New Whataburger Lebanon TN: Photos Of The Food, Review
I went through a long relationship with Sonic watermelon cream slushes throughout my high school and college years during the early and mid 2000s. The Cook Out July specialty milkshake flavor was watermelon? I’m game bro, let’s do it!
They literally give you a spoon to go with the milkshake. It’s so dumb to need a spoon to consume a milkshake. If I wanted to use a spoon then I’d either get a Frosty or buy a pint of Häagen-Dazs or Jenni’s. The whole purpose of a milkshake or malt is to provide a convenient way to drink ice cream.
My first impression of the milkshake was that it tasted like soap. I felt like I was sucking a bar of soap through the straw. What made a huge difference was that I let it sit for about 30 minutes. I only had to ditch the straw to scoop up the watermelon chunks at the bottom of the cup. The more I drank it, the more I enjoyed it as a fresh watermelon shake. I’d still take a watermelon cream slush over it but maybe that’s the nostalgia taking over.
I’ll call this a tie because I could argue the case for either restaurant. The Whataburger malts are much easier to drink. They were more refreshing and tasted sweeter. Cook Out offered at least 40 shake flavors. I believe that their menu said that is now up to 44. If you’re willing to let the shake sit about 20 minutes to either melt or let the fruit settle to the bottom, then it’s a worthy option too.
Whataburger for the quality but Cook Out for the variety.
As For “My Milkshake Brings All The Demons Out of Me…”
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24, King James Version of the Bible.
Cook Out uses their packaging to promote their love of God. Whataburger restaurants are known for posting “One nation under God” on their windows. That Cook Out pentaburger shall have no power over me!
Cook Out vs Whataburger: The Final Review
Cook Out made three errors on my order. The third one may have simply been a receipt error but it lists a water that I never bought nor received. I felt as if this should’ve been the superior eatery; however, it didn’t seem as if this particular location was taken care of that well. Google Reviews local guide Sharlett Gathers had similar thoughts about Cook Out in Lebanon, Tennessee:
I loved the South Carolina location. Tried the TN location this past weekend and the entire order was wrong and paid almost 40 bucks for what looked like 4 kids meals for a 5 yr old…we were starving so we ate what we were given anf had to order more food for the kids!!
Sharlett Gathers, Google Reviews local guide
I’m not a fast food fanatic nor will I ever frequent either of these places. For someone craving fast food after midnight, then I’d suggest Whataburger as long as the drive thru lanes aren’t too long.
Call me old school but Waffle House is better than either of these places.
