Table of Contents
- Why did Pensacola's Cook Out take four years?
- How small is the Pensacola store compared with the rest of Florida?
- What is around the Cook Out on Nine Mile Road?
- What hours does the Nine Mile Road Cook Out keep?
- What do Pensacola diners say?
- What did Cook Out pay for its Florida sites?
- Is another Cook Out coming near Pensacola?
- What does an Escambia County Cook Out order cost with tax?
- Should you go to the first Cook Out in Florida?
Cook Out's first Florida restaurant is a 1,500-square-foot drive-thru on a corner of Nine Mile Road, and it took four years to build. Cook Out bought the old Regions Bank lot in Pensacola in 2021, waited out a lapsed county approval and opened on July 9, 2025, and for three months it was the only Cook Out in Florida. It is the smallest of Florida's four Cook Outs, and it has no dining room.
- 4 years
- From purchase to opening
- 1,500
- Square feet
- $1.84M
- Paid for the lot
- 3 or 4 AM
- Closing time
Bought 2021, opened July 9, 2025
Under half the size of the Tampa and Jacksonville stores
1.16 acres, about $1.59M an acre
3 AM Sunday to Thursday, 4 AM Friday and Saturday
Cook Out Pensacola
Open- Address
- 1735 E. Nine Mile Rd., Pensacola, FL
- Opened
- Soft opening July 9, 2025, starting at 5 p.m.
- Hours
- 10:30 AM to 3 AM Sunday to Thursday; 10:30 AM to 4 AM Friday and Saturday (Yelp)
- Drive-thru
- Two lanes
- Seating
- None, per the Pensacola News Journal
Why did Pensacola's Cook Out take four years?
Because the county approval expired before construction started. Cook Out Pensacola, Inc. bought the parcel from Regions Bank in 2021 but never pulled a building permit, so the site sat undeveloped while the approval lapsed. Escambia County development orders expire 18 months after they are issued.
2021
Cook Out buys the Regions Bank lot
The 1.16-acre parcel on East Nine Mile Road sells for $1.84 million.
October 2022
County approves the plans
Escambia County's Development Review Committee approves a roughly 1,500-square-foot restaurant with two drive-thru lanes.
Spring 2024
The approval lapses
No permit is pulled, and the order expires after 18 months.
October 2, 2024
Amended plans go back to the committee
The design is unchanged, with 26 parking spaces.
Early 2025
Construction begins
Work starts on the 1,500-square-foot restaurant.
June 2025
Signs go up
Contractors pave the lot while representatives promise an opening by early July.
July 9, 2025
Soft opening at 5 p.m.
A tentative July 7 date slips by two days, and hiring was still going on the day before.
How small is the Pensacola store compared with the rest of Florida?
Less than half the size. Cook Out built Pensacola as a 1,500-square-foot box with two lanes and about two dozen parking spaces. The company later bought larger sites in Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.
| Florida store | Size | Dining room |
|---|---|---|
| Pensacola, 1735 E. Nine Mile Rd. | About 1,500 sq ft | No |
| Temple Terrace, 5501 E. Fowler Ave. | About 3,272 sq ft | Not confirmed |
| Jacksonville, 14016 Beach Blvd. | 3,355 sq ft | Yes |
The comparison explains the format. Pensacola is a pure drive-thru, while the later stores reuse existing restaurant buildings. Our Jacksonville and Tampa guides cover those two.
What is around the Cook Out on Nine Mile Road?
A fast-food strip. The restaurant sits in University Town Plaza in the Ferry Pass area, beside a Sonic and across the street from a Burger King and a Krispy Kreme. The plaza also holds a Chick-fil-A, Smoothie King, Panda Express, Panera Bread and Firehouse Subs, and Voodoo BBQ & Grill is part of the same shopping center.
What hours does the Nine Mile Road Cook Out keep?
It runs late, and later on weekends. Yelp lists 10:30 AM to 3 AM Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 AM to 4 AM on Friday and Saturday, updated in June 2026. The Pensacola News Journal noted before the opening that some Cook Outs close as late as 5 a.m., so Pensacola's 3 and 4 AM closes are typical of the chain's late-night format. Late service is drive-thru only, because the store has no dining room.
What do Pensacola diners say?
The reviews are lukewarm and short. Yelp shows 3.0 stars from 39 reviews as of June 2026, with one reviewer praising the burgers and milkshakes. On TikTok, one creator called the prices affordable and the food fair for the cost but said the chicken tenders were overcooked. Another called it a good kid-friendly stop with no long wait.
What did Cook Out pay for its Florida sites?
Pensacola's lot was the second-cheapest of six reported sites and the oldest purchase on the list. The cheapest was a former Ollie's Neighborhood Grill in Milton, at $1.25 million.
| Site | Price | What it was |
|---|---|---|
| Pensacola, E. Nine Mile Rd. (2021) | $1.84 million | Regions Bank, 1.16 acres |
| Milton, 6180 Highway 90 (Feb. 2026) | $1.25 million | Ollie's Neighborhood Grill, closed fall 2024 |
| Carrollwood, N. Dale Mabry Hwy. | $2.5 million | Boston Market |
| St. Petersburg, 4th St. N. | $2.6 million | Boston Market |
| Jacksonville, Beach Blvd. (May 2025) | $2.75 million | Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers |
| Temple Terrace, E. Fowler Ave. | $3.5 million | Boston Market |
Is another Cook Out coming near Pensacola?
Possibly in Milton. Cook Out-Milton, Inc. bought the former Ollie's Neighborhood Grill at 6180 Highway 90 in Santa Rosa County on February 20, 2026. Ollie's had served Milton for more than two decades before closing in fall 2024. Cook Out declined to comment on the purchase, so no opening plan has been announced.
To the west, the Alabama Gulf Coast gained a store. Before the Pensacola store opened, Cook Out's nearest restaurants were in Mobile and Troy, Alabama, with a Foley store planned, and Gulf Coast Journeys reported that the Foley restaurant at 2550 S. McKenzie St. opened on April 25, 2026.
What does an Escambia County Cook Out order cost with tax?
Escambia County charges a combined 7.5% sales tax, a 6% state rate plus 1.5% county, and none of its cities add more, according to Sales-Taxes.com and Avalara. The prices behind these totals are the chain's typical ones, not Nine Mile Road's board.
| Budget with tax | What it covers | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | A Regular Tray and a Cheese Dog | $9.01 |
| $20 | Two Regular Trays, each with a regular shake swap | $18.04 |
| $30 | Three Regular Trays and three Cheese Dogs | $27.03 |
The full list of prices is in the price guide.
Should you go to the first Cook Out in Florida?
Yes, if you want the original Florida store and are fine with a drive-thru. Order at the window, eat in the car and go after 10 PM on a weekend, when the store stays open until 4 AM. Ask for the tenders fresh if you care how they are cooked, since one reviewer found them overdone.