Cookout Tampa, FL: Temple Terrace Location, Hours, Prices & What's Next

Tampa Bay's first Cook Out sits on Fowler Avenue, a few blocks from the University of South Florida, and it is open until 4 AM. The restaurant at 5501 E. Fowler Ave. in Temple Terrace soft-opened on July 16, 2026, drew a drive-thru line that wrapped around the building and became the first of three Cook Outs planned for the Tampa area. Everything below is built from that opening, the sales records behind it and what Tampa diners say.

Where is Cook Out in Tampa?

One restaurant is open, and two more are on the way. All three sit in former Boston Market buildings that Cook Out bought, for a combined $8.6 million.

The Temple Terrace store covers about 3,272 square feet, Creative Loafing Tampa reported, near the corner of East Fowler Avenue and North 56th Street. It is Cook Out's only open restaurant in the Tampa Bay market.

What happened on opening day?

The restaurant opened without an announcement. Tampa Bay Beacons reported that the first customers pulled in around 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, hours before the formal grand opening on July 17. Tampa Bay Beacons had reported days earlier that neighbors and drivers were watching the construction and wondering when it would open, and Creative Loafing reported the lines have not gotten shorter. A TikTok creator said it was still wrapping around the building every day weeks later.

That is the pattern across the chain: Cook Out does not announce grand openings, and the crowd arrives anyway.

Why did Cook Out buy Boston Market buildings?

Because the buildings already hold a drive-thru restaurant. Boston Market peaked at more than 1,200 locations in 28 states and Puerto Rico, then fell to 16 by 2024 amid lawsuits over unpaid rent and wages, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Cook Out, a Greensboro, North Carolina chain founded in 1989, has been buying the empty sites to enter new markets, and its Tampa Bay purchases follow that plan.

The Carrollwood building had been vacant since 2023 before Cook Out's purchase. The Temple Terrace site cost the most of the three at $3.5 million, about $1 million more than Carrollwood.

What are the hours at the Temple Terrace Cook Out?

The close is 4 AM; the open depends on the source. Tampa Bay Beacons reported an 11 a.m. start and a 4 a.m. close every day, a guide lists 10:30 AM, and Apple Maps shows 10 AM. Cook Out's Tallahassee store, by comparison, is listed closing at 3 AM, so Tampa stays open an hour later. Late-night service is drive-thru, and where a dining room exists it can close before the lanes do. Confirm the current hours on Google Maps before a late run.

What does a Cook Out order cost in Tampa with sales tax?

Hillsborough County charges a combined 7.5% sales tax, made up of Florida's 6% plus three 0.5% county surtaxes, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. That adds 55 cents to a Regular Tray. Temple Terrace and Carrollwood both sit in Hillsborough County. The prices below are typical chain-wide figures, not a posted Temple Terrace price.

A tray with a shake swap lands just over $9 in Hillsborough County. See the full price guide.

What are Tampa diners ordering?

TikTok creators posting from the Temple Terrace store are mostly positive, with the shakes drawing the most praise. One scored it 7.5 to 8 out of 10, called the milkshake lineup her favorite part and said she still prefers Whataburger. Another called it a 10 out of 10.

The store opened in July, so the seasonal Fresh Watermelon shake, a July and August flavor, overlapped the launch. Our guides to the Oreo shake and Cajun chicken cover two of those orders in depth.

How far is the nearest other Cook Out?

Far. Florida has four Cook Outs among about 383 restaurants on the chain's store lists, roughly 1%, against about 150 in North Carolina. Temple Terrace is about 200 miles by road from the Jacksonville store on Beach Boulevard, which opened July 30, 2026, two weeks after Tampa. The Tallahassee and Pensacola stores are farther, at roughly 270 and 440 road miles. Until Carrollwood and St. Petersburg open, Temple Terrace is the only one in the Tampa Bay market.

What is coming to Carrollwood and St. Petersburg?

Both are former Boston Markets in renovation or permitting. The Carrollwood building at 16215 N. Dale Mabry Highway is being converted into a drive-thru, and neighbors and commuters can see the work. The St. Petersburg site at 9595 4th Street North has plans on file with the city, per St. Pete Rising. Cook Out has not given an opening date for either. The Tampa Bay Times reported the three sites together on April 11, 2026, and the first opened three months later.

What else is opening near the Temple Terrace Cook Out?

A Culver's. A May 2026 report said the Wisconsin chain plans a dine-in restaurant with a drive-through at 5880 E. Fowler Ave., on the same stretch of Fowler Avenue, with no opening date listed. That would put two drive-thru chains with milkshakes within a short drive of USF.

Should you drive to the Tampa Cook Out from Wesley Chapel?

Yes, if you want the tray and the shakes and can pick your hour. The Wesley Chapel Loop pitched the Fowler Avenue store as a new option for residents who already drive to the USF area for work, medical appointments and university events. Go late if you can, since the restaurant stays open to 4 AM and the line has been part of the story since day one.