Costco’s CEO Just Took Down Every Fast Food CEO with This Viral Video

It looks like 2026 is the year that the CEOs of food companies get front and center in their marketing (which we’re sure they all absolutely love doing). We have McDonald’s to thank for that one. After CEO and president Chris Kempczinski went viral after “eating” the new Big Arch burger, it turned into a bit of a C-suite pile-on, with Burger King’s president firing off a response, and the Wendy’s president also getting involved. We feel like these people probably all have better things to do than be jesters on the internet, but hey – this is the world we live in. No one’s safe.

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Now, it’s Ron Vachris’ turn. The Costco CEO took to Instagram to post a video of himself eating one of the store’s famous $1.50 hot dogs, and it’s gone down pretty well in the online world. 

CEOs – They’re Just Like Us

In the Instagram reel, Vachris is first seen walking up to a counter in a Costco food court. It must be said that the opening few seconds are a touch awkward – he grabs his food, sits down at a table, and proclaims, “$1.50? For this hot dog?” Ron, we know you know the price of it. We get that it’s a bit, but c’maaaan. Oh, and IKEA’s new hot dog is longer than yours… just sayin’. 

Following that, though, Vachris starts to loosen up a bit. He promises viewers that the price of his hot dog will never change while he’s around (which we appreciate) and, between big, genuine bites, says it’s “amazing quality, amazing value.” And you know what? We do believe him. Vachris actually rolling his sleeves up and stepping into one of his stores is also a nice move, considering that all these other CEOs are being filmed in these videos in what is clearly a taste kitchen or office. 

It’s a Brand Convention, People!

Once Costco posted the video of Vachris, it’s probably no surprise that the social media marketing teams of other brands spotted an opportunity. Hence, the comments started. “Ron gets it,” read a comment from Coca-Cola. A slightly more niche offer came from Darq Industries, a manufacturer of night vision equipment, which said, “Ron, if you ever want night vision goggles we are happy to oblige.” To be honest, that social media intern deserves a promotion, because they’re working overtime here. 

So, who’s gonna be next? We’ve already had KFC’s president step up to the plate, posting her own rebuttal. Jack in the Box and A&W’s leaders also entered the fray with their responses. Any word from Sonic yet? Five Guys? Walmart? In this day and age, their videos could drop at any time. We’re sitting here waiting with bated breath.