Popular southeast fast-food chain could be opening first Florida location in Ferry Pass

Edward Bunch III, Pensacola News Journal
·2 min read
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Florida’s first Cook Out location could be opening soon in Ferry Pass, according to documents filed with the county.

Currently, the closest operating Cook Outs to Escambia County are located in Mobile and Troy, Alabama, and Albany, Georgia.

The Pensacola Cook Out is planned to be a 1,500 square foot restaurant with a drive-through and 26 total parking spaces on a 1.16-acre parcel that previously held a Regions Bank location, according to the project’s construction plans approved by Escambia County.

The project’s developers are Commercial Site Design, based in North Carolina, and they have been working on getting the new fast-food restaurant built since late 2021, according to the project's filings with Escambia County.

Here’s what we know about Escambia County's first Cook Out coming to Ferry Pass.

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Where will the Cook Out be?

The new Cook Out will be built at 1735 E. Nine Mile Road, which was the former location of a Regions Bank. Regions Bank sold the parcel to the Cook Out’s developers for $1.84 million in 2021.

Developers of the new Cook Out restaurant will have to demolish the bank’s existing structures before they can begin construction.

The fast-food restaurant will only be accessible using Baldridge Road, according to the project’s construction plans approved by Escambia County last year.

Construction plans for a new Cook Out in Ferry Pass that were approved by Escambia County's Development Review Committee last year.
Construction plans for a new Cook Out in Ferry Pass that were approved by Escambia County's Development Review Committee last year.

There are many food options in the area of University Town Center that the new Cook Out will add to, such as Chick-fil-a, Voodoo BBQ & Grill, Sonic and Panera Bread.

Plans for construction were approved by Escambia County’s Development Review Committee last year, but development has not begun due to the developers still needing permits for the project.

What is Cook Out?

Cook Out is an American fast-food chain, often known for its cheap meals and quick service, that originated in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1989.

The fast-food chain’s signature “Cook Out Trays” offer two entrees, two sides and a beverage as one combo meal. Their menu hosts a range of options from quesadillas and barbecue plates to milkshakes and cajun fries.

Not even a decade after opening, the brand had expanded to 10 locations in North Carolina. By 2008, there were 50 Cook Outs across the state.

Cook Out’s first location outside of North Carolina was built in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 2010. By this point, the chain had expanded to 74 locations. The same year, Cook Out opened their first store in Virginia and Tennessee respectively.

Cook Out now has more than 200 locations across of the following 10 states:

  • Alabama

  • Georgia

  • Kentucky

  • Maryland

  • Mississippi

  • North Carolina

  • South Carolina

  • Tennessee

  • Virginia

  • West Virginia

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Cook Out in Ferry Pass, Escambia County first in Florida