New MS Cook Out restaurant has 54K possible combos. How to order like a pro, via internet advice
One of the most coveted fast-food franchises has opened its first location on the Mississippi Coast, but for those who aren’t familiar with the menu, ordering can be a stressful experience.
Cook Out — a restaurant chain lauded for its maximalist menu — opened in Gulfport on Tuesday, June 23 and was received with a drive-through line stretching onto U.S. 49, the Sun Herald reported.
Anyone who’s been to one of the more than 300 locations across the Southeast knows that the Cook Out Tray is the belle of the ball.
But for Cook Out first-timers, the vast menu can easily cause some decision fatigue. In 2016 Bit & Grain, a North Carolina-based digital documentary project, wrote that the Cook Out Tray presents more than 54,000 different possible combinations.
So, if you’re new, don’t panic. Here’s how to order, according to the internet.
The Cook Out menu
To give you some background on the menu — and the cult following behind the fast-food restaurant — there are multiple unofficial websites created for navigating the menu. Here are a few:
The menu listed on the official Cook Out website doesn’t include prices, but according to Allrecipies, the restaurant is considered one of the most affordable fast-food franchises in the country.
Customers have the option to order menu items a la carte or in a Cook Out Tray. Here’s a breakdown of menu items by category:
- Burgers (sized small, regular, huge and the Big Double): Order with your own choice of toppings or choose from one of the restaurant’s four burger styles
- Chicken: Choose from chargrilled chicken breast sandwiches, a spicy chicken filet sandwich, chicken strips, chicken wraps or chicken nuggets
- Barbecue: Choose between sandwiches or plates
- Hot dogs: Order from various hot dog styles, including a corn dog, and topping options
- Quesadillas: Options include cheese, chicken or beet
- Bacon: Order it in a classic BLT sandwich or in the bacon ranch wrap
- Sides: Choose from fries, hush puppies, onion rings and white cheddar cheese bites
- Milkshakes: Choose from over 40 milkshake flavors or choose to combine flavors
- Floats: Vanilla soft serve with your choice of Coke or Cheerwine
- Cheesecake: New York-style
- Drinks: Choose between Coke products, Cheerwine, sweet tea and water
Now, let’s get to the Tray options.
How to order a Cook Out Tray
If you’re ordering a Cook Out Tray, just know you’re already doing one thing right.
Megan Nichols, who runs a TikTok and Instagram account called NC Eat & Play, said a Cook Out Tray is “the best deal in fast food,” in a 2023 video about the chain.
The Tray comes with an entree, two sides and a drink for $5.99 at most locations.
We scoured thousands of videos under the #CookOut hashtag on TikTok showing anything from guides on how to order to how to what combination is the most elite order.
Here are the basics:
1. Choose your Tray size: Jr. Tray or the standard Tray size.
2. Choose your main. For Jr. Trays, options are: one small burger, two chicken strips, two corn dogs, one BLT sandwich, one hot dog, one quesadilla. For standard Trays, options are: Big double burger, regular quarter-pound burger, regular barbecue, two hot dogs, two quesadillas, regular chicken, Cajun chicken, spicy chicken, BBQ chicken, chicken strips
3. Choose two sides or double up (choose two portions of the same side item). Options include: bacon wrap, cheese bites, chicken nuggets, chicken wrap, corn dog, fries, hush puppies, onion rings, quesadilla, slaw or chili
4. Choose your drink. Options include: Large Coke product drink, water, Cheerwine or a Coke float, sweet tea, or you can sub for a regular milkshake.
Try not to overthink it. Follow these steps, and order what sounds best to you. Multiple people mentioned that part of the fun in it is getting to find your unique perfect combo.
What are some of the internet’s favorite orders?
If you need some order-inspiration, here are some of the internet’s favorites:
TikTok user Katie Lawson calls her order “the Tray of all trays.” Here’s what’s in it: Walking taco add jalapeños for the main, a hamburger add nacho cheese and chili, a ranch wrap and a diet Coke.
TikTok user “Juggz” calls his order “one of the more sloppier ones.” Here’s what’s in it: Chili cheese fries, cheddar-style burger add chili, chicken nuggets, sweet tea, barbecue and ranch.
TikTok user Jessica Battle said every time she would always go to Cook Out when she was back home. Here’s her order: a tray with a chicken club, white cheddar cheese curds, and Cajun fries, Cook Out sauce and a Heath toffee milkshake
What to know about Cook Out on the MS Coast
Here’s some additional information to know before you try out Cook Out on the Mississippi Coast:
Address: 11464 Hwy 49, Gulfport, MS 39503
Hours: 10:30 a.m. 3 a.m., Monday through Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, a customer service representative told McClatchy Media June 26 on a phone call.
Seating: Limited indoor seating
