Carrollwood’s long-empty Boston Market on North Dale Mabry Highway is finally getting a new tenant, and it is not a salad spot. Crews are renovating the former restaurant at 16215 N. Dale Mabry Highway to turn it into the area’s next Cook Out drive-thru, bringing char-grilled burgers and dozens of milkshake flavors to one of Tampa’s busiest fast-food corridors.
The Dale Mabry property has been vacant since 2023 and is now being remodeled for the incoming Cook Out. Neighbors and commuters can expect visible construction work as the building is converted for the chain’s drive-thru heavy setup. According to the Tampa Beacon, this specific former Boston Market building is the Carrollwood address slated for the Cook Out conversion.
What the sale records show
County deed records show the Carrollwood site changed hands last year, with the property selling for roughly $2.5 million. Cook Out also closed on a former Boston Market in Temple Terrace for about $3.5 million, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
The chain has also picked up a former Boston Market site in St. Petersburg, a parcel purchased for about $2.6 million, as part of what local outlets describe as a multi-site Tampa Bay push. St. Pete Rising reported on the St. Pete sale and related permitting activity.
Cook Out’s playbook and local footprint
Cook Out, founded in Greensboro in 1989, has built a fiercely loyal following across the Southeast with low-priced char-grilled burgers, the mix-and-match “Cook Out Tray,” and an unusually large shake menu. Local TV coverage and real-estate reporting note that the brand now counts more than 300 locations and has been buying up shuttered Boston Market sites as a fast way to move into new markets. FOX 13 has tracked the chain’s recent expansion moves into the Tampa Bay area.
What this will mean for Carrollwood
For Carrollwood residents, a Cook Out typically means more late-night food options and a busier drive-thru entrance where traffic and curbside activity can spike. Local reporting notes that some Cook Out locations operate into the early morning hours, and the conversion of standalone Boston Market buildings into drive-thru-first Cook Out sites has been a recurring pattern in the chain’s growth. The Tampa Beacon has described that trend and the likely impacts on nearby retail plazas.
Timeline and next steps
No firm opening date has been announced for the Carrollwood restaurant, and company representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment when the sales were first reported, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Permitting and build-out schedules vary by site, so neighbors should expect the project to move through standard city review and construction milestones before doors open…