I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Cook Out (Myrtle Beach, SC) in Nov 2017
Interview
Was in a Hotel in Myrtle Beach. 14 seats, 4 people showed up, two late. Should have been the first red flag. Young kid shows up five minutes before the scheduled interview time at 2 P.M. Thought he was one of the individuals being interviewed. Hair was disheveled, shirt untucked and was wearing blue jeans. Never introduced himself or acknowledged he was with Cook Out. So I asked him are you ________? Which he acknowledged. Started the PPT presentation and talked so fast it was like he was speed-reading. Got the impression this was going to be a short process, which it was. Explained the salary structure and the rules and regulations of the organization. Fifteen minutes and we were finished. Time to interview.
Normally people who are doing the interviewing arrive early and set-up their Power Point Presentation in advance so they look like they are professional. Before the interview I contacted Human Resources and she said business casual would suffice for the interview process. Maybe the interviewer should wear business casual? I get the Cook Out mantra of being a proactive company like Google and letting the employees express their individuality.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Stupid questions. Why do you want to work for Cook Out? Do you have any experience working in a fast paced restaurant environment? Education?
Really? Read the resume before the interview process. Had no clue. Over thirty years experience working in the Hospitality industry as a server, manager and bartender. Worked seven years in private cub at the United Center for the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks. Have a Master's degree in Business Administration and teach online Business classes for the past fifteen years. He looked at me like this job opportunity is for someone who is younger.
Was this person really from Human Resources? I facilitate Human Resource classes and I have never been a part of such an unprofessional and unprepared process.
Maybe ask why would you be an asset for our organization? What value can you add to our organization? What would be your competitive advantage in the workplace?
I applied through other source. I interviewed at Cook Out (Atlanta, GA)
Interview
It was a short 2 v 1 interview with the DM & HR. Easy questions. They were informative. HR asked most of the questions, about experience level, past employment, ect. All the usual questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What do you think about the late night hours? (4am closing time)
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Cook Out (Raleigh, NC) in Aug 2025
Interview
Emailed with the District Manager to establish a good time to come into the store and interview for 30 minutes in the manager's office. Did exactly that and was undisturbed even during a busy shift.
The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Cook Out (Columbus, GA) in Apr 2024
Interview
Daunting and unorganized, employees seemed unhappy and overworked. Kitchen was dirty and unorganized. I declined offer, I know a trap when I see one . It might be for some but definitely not for a person who needs a work life balance
Manager applicants have rated the interview process at Cook Out with 1.8 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 44% positive. To compare, the company-average is 51.8% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Manager roles take an average of 9 days to get hired, when considering 32 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Cook Out overall takes an average of 7 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Cook Out as a Manager according to 32 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 32%
Background check: 20%
Group panel interview: 15%
Drug test: 12%
Skills test: 8%
Presentation: 7%
Phone interview: 5%
Other: 2%
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