For college students, food is something we take very seriously. We spend more time eating out than at the dining hall. Every college town has that one place that's everyone's favorite hangout. Whether it's right at lunch time or at 1 am, you and friends go here and you make awesome memories at every visit. On a broke college student's budget, we go out to eat at the cheapest places cause that's what we can afford. No I'm not talking about McDonald's or Waffle House or any kind of Mexican Restaurant by campus. I'm talking about the place where we've spent the majority of our freshman year of college. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm talking about the happiest place on earth.

(Cue the singing angels and spotlight from the sun)

I remember my first trips to Cookout, emphasis on the word trips. It was recruitment week and my friend Madison and I were scared, tired, and anxious at the end of every day. We did the most logical thing possible, we stress ate. It was almost ten o'clock at night and we would get in her car and take the sketchy shortcut into town and pulled up to the drive thru lane at Cookout. I swear the people at the window recognized us cause we ordered the same thing for three days straight. Chicken Tenders with double order of fries and large pink lemonade. Ahh, Good times.

Anyway. I think I can speak for my fellow college students and agree that cookout is the best thing to come to college campuses. Going through snap chat stories seeing the logo on one of their large drink cups. It's a new franchise that's popping up everywhere on the map. It's less at least ten minutes away from our campus so you don't have to drive a half hour out somewhere. It's open from lunch to dawn so you have that place to go to when you have those midnight cravings or munchies at 1 am. And don't even get me started on their menu because it's the ultimate fantasy for food lovers.

The $4.99 Cookout Tray

This is a favorite on the menu. The cookout trays let you eat a whole meal for less than $5. That may seem dirt cheap but for a someone in college who lives off either Ramen or easy mac, this is closet thing we have to an actual meal. And the food is actually good, not like the food that tastes real good when you eat but end up having massive stomach probs later, if you know what I mean. As soon as you place your order, your food is prepped, cooked, and served hot in the box in less than five minutes flat.

The 40+ Milkshake Menu

They basically have a milkshake bar. You never find a place that has more than the three basic flavors let alone over forty different ones. From every flavor made like Hershey's Chocolate and Oreo's to the never thought of such as their Cheery Cobbler and Peanut-Butter Banana. You get two desserts in a cup for the price of one, what's better than that.

So thank you to the guy who had the idea of opening a small restaurant in the south and turning into heaven on earth for us. Thank you for giving us full meals that are better and cheaper than at the nearest McDonald's. Thank you for hiring amazing and nice people who manage to make our day when step up to the counter and pull up to the drive thru. Even though it seems small, the place is growing by the day. Hopefully by the time I graduate, they'll have start some customer loyalty card like Starbucks and offer a free milkshake for your birthday.