Cook Out in
Columbia, SC.

How many Cook Out locations are in Columbia, SC?

Columbia, South Carolina has 6 Cook Out restaurants, plus a seventh that opened in August 2026. Two Notch Road has two stores, and Garners Ferry Road, Harden Street, Bush River Road and Forest Drive have one each. Most open at 10:30 AM and close at 3 AM, or 4 AM on Friday and Saturday.

All 6 Columbia stores — plus a new one

Columbia, South Carolina has six Cook Out restaurants with verified addresses, plus a seventh that opened in August 2026. South Carolina was Cook Out’s first expansion outside North Carolina, in 2010, and Columbia — home of the University of South Carolina — has been one of the chain’s busiest South Carolina cities ever since. The six established stores are listed below.

Two of the six stores have their own listed phone numbers. For the others, the number to call is Cook Out’s general line, 1-866-547-0011. Hours are the store’s own listing as checked in November 2026. The new store at 1331 Roberts Branch Pkwy has no published hours yet, so its hours are listed as to be confirmed below.

Day-by-day hours in Columbia

Four of the six established stores follow the same pattern: open 10:30 AM, close 3 AM Sunday to Thursday and 4 AM Friday and Saturday. The Harden Street store closes half an hour later, at 3:30 AM and 4:30 AM. The Forest Drive store is the exception in the other direction: it closes at 2 AM Sunday to Thursday and 3 AM Friday and Saturday, an hour earlier than the other stores. Closing times run past midnight into the next morning, so read them as the night that starts on the day shown.

The new Roberts Branch Parkway store opened in August 2026, and no published hours were available for it in November 2026. If you are heading there late at night, call the general line first or check the map listing before you drive over. Holiday hours can be shorter; see the 2026 holiday hours page for the chain-wide picture.

Cook Out near the University of South Carolina

Columbia is a college town, and Cook Out’s Columbia stores are built around that. The Harden Street store at 1101 Harden St sits by the Five Points area next to the University of South Carolina campus, which makes it the closest store for students on foot or a short drive. It is also the store that stays open latest in the city, until 4:30 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The Garners Ferry Road store at 7440 Garners Ferry Rd serves the south side of the city and the student housing along that corridor. Between them, the two stores cover the campus side of Columbia, and the late hours exist for exactly that crowd: students, shift workers and anyone else out after midnight.

On big USC nights — home football games, move-in weekend, the end of term — expect the drive-thru lines to run long well past midnight. An earlier visit usually means a shorter wait, and weekday afternoons are the quietest time to go. Feeding a group? One car through the drive-thru with a written-down order beats individual trips, and Trays stack well for a group.

Which Columbia store should you pick?

Pick by side of town. The northeast has two stores on Two Notch Road, at 10030 and 8501, which serve the busiest corridor in the city. If one Two Notch line is long, the other is a few minutes away, and that is the practical reason to know both addresses.

The west side has the Bush River Road store at 600, and the Forest Acres area has the Forest Drive store at 5311 — but remember that Forest Drive closes an hour earlier than the rest, at 2 AM on weeknights. The south side has the Garners Ferry Road store at 7440, and the Harden Street store at 1101 serves the campus and Five Points area.

The new store at 1331 Roberts Branch Parkway is the seventh option, on the southeast side of the city. Its hours were not published when this page was written, so treat it as a daytime stop until its late-night hours are confirmed.

Columbia on the road

Columbia sits where I-20, I-26 and I-77 meet, which makes it a natural stop for drivers crossing South Carolina. The Two Notch Road stores serve the northeast side for I-20 traffic, and the Garners Ferry Road store serves the south side for drivers on I-77.

For a through-driver, the pattern is the same as at any Cook Out: fuel, a Tray, a shake, back on the road. The late closing times exist for exactly that customer as much as for locals. If you are passing through after midnight, remember the split: most stores close at 3 AM, or 4 AM on Friday and Saturday, Harden Street runs half an hour later, and Forest Drive closes an hour earlier. Florence is the next Cook Out city to the east on I-20, and Atlanta is the next big Cook Out city to the west.

What to order in Columbia

The Columbia menu is the full Cook Out lineup: char-grilled burgers, chopped pork barbecue, chicken sandwiches and strips, hot dogs, quesadillas, wraps, a long sides list and the 40-plus flavor shake menu. A Cook Out Tray costs about $7.99 here — one main, two sides and a drink bundled together.

First time? Order a Regular Tray with a Big Double Cook Out Style, hushpuppies and onion rings, and swap the drink for a shake. That is the order the chain is built around. For the full flavor list, see the milkshake guide. Confirm the final price on the board, because prices are set per restaurant.

The value story is the same in Columbia as everywhere else: a full meal for about eight dollars, served until 3 or 4 in the morning. That is why the drive-thru line at 1 AM is a Columbia institution, not an exception — the city has been lining up at Cook Out since the chain first crossed into South Carolina in 2010.

Prices in Columbia

A Regular Tray costs about $7.99 in Columbia — one main, two sides and a drink bundled together. The Jr. Tray costs less and suits a lighter appetite, and the milkshakes run about $3.99 across the chain’s boards. Sides, hot dogs and wraps mostly sit in the two-to-three-dollar range, which is why the Tray is the deal: the bundle costs less than the same items ordered separately.

Prices are set per restaurant, so the board at the store you visit is the final word. Check the price before you order if the budget is tight, and remember that tax is added on top. See the 2026 price guide for the full board, with reported local examples from named restaurants.

Columbia after midnight

After midnight, Columbia still has Cook Out. Five of the six established stores are open until at least 3 AM, and Harden Street runs until 3:30 AM on weeknights and 4:30 AM on Friday and Saturday, which makes it the safest bet for a 3 AM order. Forest Drive is the one to avoid late: it closes at 2 AM Sunday to Thursday and 3 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The line at 1 AM on a Friday is often the longest of the night — students from USC, shift workers, and I-20 and I-77 drivers all arriving at once — and the kitchen is built for volume, so it moves faster than it looks. Have the order ready before the speaker: main, two sides, drink, in that order. If you are heading to the new Roberts Branch Parkway store, call first: its hours were not published when this page was written.

Tips for your Columbia visit

Most Columbia visits run through the drive-thru, and the line moves faster than it looks because the kitchen is built for volume. Have the order ready before the speaker: main, two sides, drink, in that order. Cards are widely accepted. If you are new to the brand entirely, start with the Tray guide — it explains the ordering system that confuses every first-timer exactly once. Compare calories on the nutrition page before you order.

Remember the two exceptions on this page. Forest Drive closes an hour earlier than the other stores, so do not plan a 3 AM Forest Drive run on a weeknight. The Roberts Branch Parkway store is new, and its hours were not published in November 2026, so check before you go.

Holiday hours can be shorter than the normal pattern, so confirm before a late-night trip on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s. When anything is unclear, call the store — the numbers on this page are the store listings, and the general line is 1-866-547-0011.