A Cook Out spinoff restaurant may be closer to opening in Raleigh. The latest
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Taco Roos signs and a digital menu board installed at 1221 New Bern Ave.
- Permits have been issued to convert a former Raleigh Subway into Taco Roos.
- Taco Roos’ website shows two locations in North Carolina.
There’s movement again at a long-anticipated Cook Out-owned concept east of downtown Raleigh.
Signs and a digital menu board with Taco Roos branding have been installed at 1221 New Bern Ave., neighboring an existing Cook Out at 1201 New Bern Ave.
The Roo’s Chicken sign remains on the building, beside the Taco Roos sign, still advertised as “coming soon” nearly three years after the waving rooster appeared.
According to the chain’s website, Taco Roos, which is Cook Out’s taco concept, serves customers from two North Carolina locations, in Wilmington and Thomasville.
The New Bern Avenue restaurant would be among the brand’s first in the Triangle. Permits have been issued to renovate a former Subway on Western Boulevard into a Taco Roos.
The taco concept may also be coming to Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The News & Observer has reached out to Cook Out for more information about the New Bern Avenue location.
Will Taco Roos open in Raleigh?
Rumors that Taco Roos would be coming to the former KFC on New Bern Avenue have been swirling for years — since 2019, to be exact, when Cook Out owner Jeremy Reaves submitted filings for Taco Roos at that location.
A limited liability corporation called 2418 N. Main LLC with an address of 15 Laura Lane in Thomasville purchased the property in 2018, Wake County records show. Three years later, the deed was transferred to Cook Out-New Bern Avenue, a corporation with the same Thomasville address.
The building at 1221 New Bern Ave. at one point operated as a Cook Out, but has never operated as a Roo’s Chicken. The Taco Roos sign now hangs where the Cook Out sign did — as recently as February, based on Google Street View.
An N&O reporter’s visit to the site Thursday, March 12 revealed that the digital menu in the drive-thru lane was turned on. The Taco Roos menu wasn’t showing, but there was a “Welcome to Taco Roos” sign above the screen.
Taco Roos menu
According to the online menu, Taco Roos offers several types of tacos, available with ground beef, grilled or fried chicken, sautéed or fried shrimp, and grilled or fried fish ($3-$4).
Burritos filled with refried or black beans and beef, or beans only, plus cheese and a choice of additions such as rice and onions, are also served ($2-$3). Customers can also get nachos and quesadillas ($3-$4).
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 12:51 PM.
