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Charlottesville taxes a Cook Out tray harder than any other city on this site. The City of Charlottesville charges a 7% meals tax on top of Virginia's 5.3% sales tax, a combined 12.3%, which turns a $7.39 Regular Tray into $8.30. The restaurant at 1254 Emmet Street North also once clogged the road it sits on: when it opened in the former Long John Silver's building, The Hook reported, cars blocked or slowed Emmet Street at almost every mealtime.
- 12.3%
- Tax on a meal
- $8.30
- Regular Tray with tax
- 3.2 to 4.1
- Rating range across sites
- 4 AM
- Friday and Saturday close
7% city meals tax plus 5.3% sales tax
The highest total on our city pages
Yelp 3.2, Tripadvisor 3.6, Restaurantji 3.9, Google 4.1
3 AM Monday to Thursday, per Yelp
Cook Out Charlottesville
Open- Address
- 1254 Emmet St. N., Charlottesville, VA 22903
- Hours
- 10:30 AM to 3 AM Monday to Thursday; 10:30 AM to 4 AM Friday and Saturday (Yelp, July 2026)
- Drive-thru
- Yes
Why is a tray so expensive in Charlottesville?
Because the city layers its own meals tax over the state sales tax. Charlottesville's own tax pages list the meals tax at 7%, in addition to the 5.3% Virginia retail sales and use tax, and the March 2026 city budget presentation shows the same 7%. Older documents, including the city's FAQ, still say 6.5%. The totals below apply the tax to typical menu prices, not to a price board seen on Emmet Street.
| Where | Tax on a meal | Regular Tray | Four Regular Trays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green, KY | 6% | $7.83 | $31.33 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | 10% | $8.13 | $32.52 |
| Myrtle Beach, SC (city limits) | 11.5% | $8.24 | $32.96 |
| Charlottesville, VA | 12.3% | $8.30 | $33.20 |
The spread between Bowling Green and Charlottesville is 47 cents on one tray and $1.87 on a family order of four. The price guide has the full board.
What happened on Emmet Street when the Cook Out opened?
Traffic backed up. The Hook's piece, titled "Meet the meat: Cook-Out backs up Charlottesville artery", says that in the days after the North Carolina chain opened in the former Long John Silver's building, it was the rare mealtime when cars did not block or slow Emmet Street, which it calls the city's main vehicle corridor. The story opens with a parking lot traffic director telling the reporter that cars can wait. The version we could read does not show a date.
How do reviewers rate the Emmet Street store?
The score depends on the site. Yelp shows 3.2 from 142 to 145 reviews. Tripadvisor shows 3.6 from 54, and one of its review titles is "Best Milkshakes". Restaurantji shows 3.9 from 342 ratings, and Wanderlog's Google-based score is 4.1 from about 1,800. Google, with by far the largest sample, scores it highest.
| Site | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Google (via Wanderlog) | 4.1 | About 1,800 |
| Restaurantji | 3.9 | 342 |
| Tripadvisor | 3.6 | 54 |
| Yelp | 3.2 | 142 to 145 |
How does Virginia compare for Cook Out?
Virginia has about 45 Cook Outs, behind only North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, and the chain's Virginia history runs from Blacksburg and Radford in late 2011 through Lynchburg in March 2012 and Danville that October, to Manassas Park in November 2022. See every state on the locations page.
Is the Charlottesville Cook Out worth the 12.3%?
For a late tray, yes, since the base price is the chain's usual $7.39 and the tax adds 91 cents. Use the drive-thru off peak, and remember the corridor backed up on opening.