People who knew Backyard Burger at it’s best say a good Cookout Burger is like that. Backyard tried and failed in Greensboro, NC a few years back. Nice store, good location but poor visibility from the main roads. Too expensive, Cookout was better at two thirds the price. Cookout does suffer from spotty quality overall. Some locations are awesome. Some only so-so. I hit one of the newer sit-down stores in Kernersville, NC. They do a fine job. Others, particularly the older double drive throughs with no dining room, are hit or miss.
I wish we had a place like that around here. There’s nothing like an authentic back yard type burger. Five Guys and In and Out are really good but they’re not back yard style. The other style that’s really good is the old-school diner fried burger. They have the thin, very well done grey patties which on paper shouldn’t be that good, but man when they’re done right they are really good. Before Wendy’s changed their recipe a year or two ago they sometimes got in that ballpark.