Catching up on Cook-Out’s opening, Les Cheveux’s move
Vehicles line up at the drive through at Cook-Out restaurant, which opened a few days before Christmas. Photo courtesy of blog reader Original Greg.
Hi readers! Sorry for the long absence here on the blog, and thank you for your condolences on the death in our family. Despite the loss my husband and I enjoyed spending time with our loved ones and celebrating our little one’s first Christmas.
I have a lot of catching up to do this week, but thanks to many readers we know that the Cook-Out restaurant at Crossroads in Roanoke opened a few days before Christmas. That was apparently good news to those who lined up in the drive through and inside on opening day. Blog reader Original Greg was kind enough to send me several photos of the lines, one of which I’ve included in this post.
Several other readers left comments on the blog about the lines.
Reader Jack said: “The lines at Cook Out were unbelievable!! It reminded me of the huge crowd on opening day at Panera Bread 419, Fresh Market. It is a reminder that Roanoke is starved literally for new chain restaurants.”
Another reader who uses the name Mike D said the lines turned him away. “We tried to go to Cook Out today. Lines way to long. Will try again another day,” he wrote.
And, I received an email from Ray McKee of Roanoke, who said he ordered a burger and was disappointed. Here is what he said: “The bread/bun broke up kind of quickly, almost tasting like it was on its last date before expiration. The onion and lettuce seemed ‘fresh.’ The tomato wasn’t exactly hand-picked from any garden I know. What struck me as really odd was the texture of the ‘beef’ (if that is what it was). It broke up quickly in the mouth and tasted….different.”
In other news, I reported in a Retail Roundup column that Les Cheveux Salon and Day Spa is leaving its spot at Towers Shopping Center. The salon and spa owner, Sherman Argenbright, said he bought three connected buildings at Broadway Avenue and McClanahan Street in the Crystal Spring neighborhood. Les Cheveux will close at Towers on Saturday and reopen at its new location on Jan. 10. The move will leave vacant a large and prominent space at Towers. Read more here.
Also in that column I reported that the Soccer Stop will start selling lacrosse equipment. Store owner Danny Beamer told me he couldn’t ignore the huge demand for equipment as the sport’s popularity grows in the Roanoke area.
December 31, 2012 - 5:00 AM
In response to previous comments on Bojangles in Vinton. Went by there this morning & sign says OPEN, with balloons decorating the driveway entrance.
Towers shouldn’t have a problem filling the vacancy that Les Cheveux is leaving. They have been on fire filling vacancies.
I can’t speak for the drive thru lines at the Cook Out but the long lines inside moved very quick, food was up very quick-I liked it, good hamburger, the fries were ok, I have had better. I will go back again when I’m in the mood for a good burger!! Still looking forward to Steak n Shake
Cook-Out is one of my favorite restaurants…but not for burgers as much as BBQ and chicken sandwiches! I’ve been told every Cook-Out makes their BBQ different and at the restaurant so my experiences (Danville, Greensboro, Concord) may differ from the new Roanoke location…but if its even close you will be in hog heaven!
@Steve: Thanks for the update! They must have just completed their renovations.
Towers deserves special recognition as ‘Shopping Destination Of The Year’ for 2012. Those folks have been working their… umm… behinds off in bringing imaginative and desired stores to their customers. They deserve FAR more credit than given them by the local media – HINT, HINT!!!
Agree with CR’s comment. The Smoothie King is great – excellent variety.
Totally underwhelmed with Cook-Out. 20 minutes in line for a “Cook-Out style” burger with so much mustard on it I actually gagged. Slaw looked like something straight from Gunnoes topped with bitter onions. Agree with the others about the texture of the beef. Can’t wait for Steak and Shake.
No need to visit Brusters ice cream paying over $5 for a small milkshake.The 40 varieties of shakes here are half the price and much better! Also, the hamburgers are char grilled, not fried like everywhere else!
But the onion rings were good!
Burger, Hot Dog? Richee Freeze. Burger ground fresh daily from Kroger
The new Cook-Out in Rocky Mount great. Long drive-thru lines but fast service. The burgers were great as were the hushpuppies and chicken nuggets. I’ll try the BBQ next.
The appeal of cook out is the value. There is Better food out there but you cannot get the amount nor the options of a cook out tray for $5.
Re: Cook-Out–I wnt there New Year’s Day for lunch. The lines were long (and got a lot longer), but I was impressed with how quickly orders were filled. However, seating is inadequate for the amount of business they’re currently doing. Food is not gourmet but is OK and prices are good.
Re: Les Cheveux. Might Fresh Market expand into that space, if it’s contiguous to where they are now?
The BBQ is Eastern style, vinegar based and not with tomato BBQ sauce. Just a FYI for those who prefer one over the other. Hamburger was meh, but they messed mine up (no cheese) and they gave me another no questions asked and let me keep the first. Corndog, Fries and onion rings very good. Shakes delicious. Prices? really good. Platter with two sides and a shake and tea was $8.12. Drive Thru line was long but took 12 minutes to get through, it moved quickly. It will calm down eventually, probably when Steak & Shake opens.
A bit late but sorry for your loss Amanda. Hope 2013 brings a better year.
I finally got to try a Cook Out. We were up in the Radford area doing some night photo and need a bite to eat and neither of us had a lot of cash. So we decided to try the Cook Out there. Like others have said it’s OK and you can’t beat the price. Again like others have said the meat on the burger is a bit strange. Kinda reminds me of the burgers you used to get in school. Fries were OK if just a bit over cooked. Young girl was friendly (GASP!!!) something you don’t see at fastfood very often. Decent cheap but not worth standing in a long line.
In regard to Bojangles. Sound a bit odd. I did notice this weekend when I passed the side entrance was blocked off and they look to be expanding the rear part of the parking lot. Could see that the menus were back up inside but they were still closed Saturday.
I had never eaten at a Cook-out until this past weekend and have no desire to go back — agree with Art’s comment that there was so much mustard on the burger that it was overwhelming. The food was not worth all the hype and I am looking forward to trying Steak & Shake.