Which is the best value: Cook Out, Whataburger or Five Guys?
On pure price, Cook Out's Tray format is hard to beat — reported around $6.99–$7.49 for a main, two sides and a drink, versus roughly $12–$15 for comparable combos at Whataburger or Five Guys. But value isn't only price: Cook Out wins on shake variety (40+ reported flavors) and late-night hours, while Five Guys leans on bigger burgers and Whataburger on Texas-sized portions and customization. The catch is geography: Cook Out only operates in the Southeast, so availability decides for many people.
Value format: the Tray vs the combo
The core of Cook Out's value story is the Tray: one eligible main, two sides and a drink bundled at a single price, reported around $6.99–$7.49 at many locations in 2026. Nothing on the Whataburger or Five Guys menu works quite the same way. Both competitors sell burgers, fries and drinks as separate line items or as combos, and reported combo prices land roughly in the $12–15 range — nearly double the Tray's reported price.
The gap widens because of how Cook Out defines a “side.” Items like a corn dog, a quesadilla or chicken nuggets can count as sides on a Tray, so the bundle effectively covers what would be two separate purchases elsewhere. That is the structural difference this comparison keeps returning to: Cook Out built its menu around the bundle, while its competitors built theirs around the burger. See the reported price examples for how the math looks location by location.
Burgers: Big Double vs the Texas double vs Five Guys
On the burger itself, the three chains take different paths. Cook Out's headline burger is the Big Double — two patties anchoring the regular Tray's main list — alongside styled burgers including the onion-rich Cook Out Style and the shaved-steak Steak Style. Whataburger is famous for larger, made-to-order burgers with deep customization, the product of a Texas chain that built its name on the burger alone. Five Guys keeps it simpler: fresh, never-frozen patties with a long list of free toppings and famously generous fries.
Judging “better” is a matter of taste, and this site doesn't do taste tests. What can be compared honestly is approach: Cook Out treats the burger as one part of a bundled meal, while Whataburger and Five Guys treat it as the main event. For the full burger lineup, see the burger menu guide.
Shakes: 40+ flavors vs the field
This is the least close contest of the comparison. Cook Out's menu board lists a reported 40+ milkshake flavors, from Oreo and Reese's to seasonal drops like watermelon and eggnog — and a shake can replace the Tray's drink for a reported ~$1.50 upgrade. Whataburger serves shakes in the classic three — vanilla, chocolate, strawberry — done well but without the encyclopedia. Five Guys' US menu is not built around shakes at all.
For shake-first eaters, the choice is obvious; for everyone else it is one factor among several. The thickness is legendary enough that fans advise letting them thaw or grabbing a spoon, and the flavor list is long enough to need its own menu page.
Late-night hours: who stays open latest
Cook Out is a late-night chain by design. Reported typical hours run around 10:30 AM to 3 AM Sunday through Thursday, stretching to 4 or 5 AM on Friday and Saturday — though every location sets its own schedule, so the board by the drive-thru is the final word. Whataburger has the stronger late-night brand nationally: many locations run 24 hours a day, a legacy of its open-late identity. Five Guys generally keeps conventional restaurant hours and closes earliest of the three.
If your decision is “who feeds me at 2 AM,” the answer depends on your town. Check the hours guide for how Cook Out's schedule typically breaks down by day of week.
Regional footprint: Southeast vs national
Availability may decide this comparison for you. Cook Out is a Southeast chain: third-party estimates put it at roughly 350–377 locations across about 11 states as of mid-2026, with Florida its first new state in 36 years of business. Whataburger's reported footprint is several times larger and still growing nationally, while Five Guys operates at national scale across the US and beyond.
That regionality is part of the brand's mystique — and its footprint keeps growing. If there is no Cook Out near you, the comparison is academic; if there is, the Tray math in the Tray guide is worth running.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cook Out cheaper than Five Guys?
On reported prices, yes — substantially. A Cook Out Tray (main, two sides, drink) was reported around $6.99–$7.49 at many locations in 2026, while a Five Guys burger, fries and drink bought separately typically lands well into the teens. The formats differ enough that it is not a like-for-like comparison: Five Guys burgers are larger and the fries portions famously generous. But if the question is which checkout total is lower for a full meal, Cook Out's bundled Tray format wins on price at most reported locations. Prices vary by location, so your local boards are the final word.
Is Cook Out cheaper than Whataburger?
Generally, yes, on a meal-for-meal basis. Reported Cook Out Tray prices around $6.99–$7.49 undercut typical Whataburger combo prices, which are reported roughly in the $12–$15 range depending on the burger and market. Whataburger's burgers tend to be bigger, and the menu includes breakfast and limited-time items Cook Out doesn't attempt. Value is not only the receipt, though: if you want a bigger burger or eat breakfast there, Whataburger's premium buys something real. For a bundled lunch or late-night meal, the Tray is the cheaper ticket.
Which chain has the best milkshakes?
By variety, Cook Out wins outright — a reported 40+ flavors including seasonal drops, versus Whataburger's classic vanilla-chocolate-strawberry lineup and no shake program to speak of at Five Guys in the US. Best tasting is subjective, and this site doesn't run taste tests; fan consensus tends to put flavors like Banana Pudding, Strawberry Cheesecake and Oreo near the top of Cook Out's list. If shakes decide your vote, Cook Out is the only one of the three where the shake menu is a destination in itself.
Which is open latest: Cook Out, Whataburger or Five Guys?
Whataburger, at many locations — its 24-hour restaurants are a core part of the brand. Cook Out is next: reported typical hours run to about 3 AM Sunday–Thursday and 4–5 AM on weekends, which covers the late-night crowd in its markets. Five Guys generally keeps standard restaurant hours and closes earliest. All of this varies by location, and 24-hour Whataburgers are not universal either, so check the specific restaurant before a late-night run.
Does Five Guys have anything like the Cook Out Tray?
No. Five Guys sells burgers, fries and drinks as separate items with no bundled tray equivalent — you build the meal yourself and the total reflects it. Whataburger offers combos (burger, fries, drink) that are closer in spirit but still priced like a conventional fast-food combo. The Tray's defining trick — counting items like a corn dog or quesadilla as one of two included sides — has no direct parallel at either competitor. That bundle structure is the main reason Cook Out's reported meal prices sit so far below theirs.
I've never been to any of them — which should I try first?
Start with whichever is nearest, since Cook Out's Southeast footprint means availability decides for many readers. If you have all three nearby: try Cook Out for the Tray format and shake list, Whataburger for a bigger made-to-order burger (and breakfast, if you go in the morning), and Five Guys for the fresh-patty, free-toppings burger experience. There is no wrong answer — they are genuinely different restaurants that happen to share a category. The ordering guide helps if Cook Out's menu board looks intimidating on the first visit.