4 Changes We Wish Costco Would Make to Its Food Court

As much as we love Costco’s food court, we have some strong opinions about what’s worth snacking and sipping on here — and what we wish would come back (yes, we’re as thrilled as you that the churros have returned!). 

Videos by Sporked

We’re not asking for the same amazingness that’s been spotted at international Costco locations. We just want a few tweaks to make what’s already available at U.S.-based Costco food courts even better than those iconic hot dogs and slices of pizza currently are.

Bring Back More Pizza Topping Choices

Costco’s pizzas are almost as legendary as its $1.50 hot dogs, but let’s be honest: It’s not the best pizza we’ve ever tried. That’s primarily because you don’t exactly have a lot of topping choices. You can opt for cheese or pepperoni… and nothing else.

Now, cheese and pepperoni are perfectly fine (and very commonly loved) pizza picks. But here’s the thing: Costco used to offer more. Prior to 2020, shoppers could stop by their local Costco’s food court and grab a combo slice topped with veggies, sausage, and pepperoni. But when stores closed and food court practices changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the combo pizza disappeared.

And it’s never returned. The combo slices were a customer favorite, as they were flavorful and offered extra toppings for a reasonable price. As a veggie and sausage fan myself, I’m desperately waiting for the day that this pizza potentially reappears.

Cut Down on the Cheese — and Cook Pizzas Longer

Often, Costco’s cheese and pepperoni pizza slices get soggy. And in some cases, that food court pizza can wind up getting pretty greasy. But with two small changes, we think Costco could level up both of its pizza varieties. Slash the cheese (even if it’s just by a small amount) and cook the pizzas until they’re “well done” — or at least achieve a crispier crust.

These two changes together have been suggested by numerous Reddit users, and the end result is a less greasy, firmer and sturdier piece of pizza. While some are on the fence about cutting back on the cheese (myself included, because I’d never turn down excess cheese), the extra cooking time is a change we’d all love to see.

That’s because, as Reddit Costco-goers point out, cooking a Costco pizza until it’s “well done” results in a slice that has “Basically no box grease or flop,” and “[I] don’t think their pizza gets better than this.” The longer booking time results in a crispier crust that can level up the entire Costco food court experience. 

But instead of veering towards soggy and shorter cook times, we’d love to see Costco make the change to permanently cook their pizzas until they’re “well done.” After all, they’ll soften up if slices sit anyway.

Sell Hot Dogs Solo, Not Just in a Combo

Listen, we’re not here to complain about the irreplaceable and iconic Costco hot dog. But we do wish the warehouse giant would make one little change: We’d love the option to buy hot dogs solo and outside of a combo.

Right now, the Costco hot dog combo is the only hot dog choice. And while we absolutely adore the $1.50 price for a dog and a drink, we don’t always need the drink. Sometimes, we just want a dog (or two… or three) without a soda or a water — which in itself is a relatively recent change, as in years past the hot dog combo only allowed for an accompanying soda.

It seems like a pretty reasonable change, too. Costco could easily separate the hot dog out from the combo and charge $1 per hot dog. We’d happily pay that price on each and every one of our visits.

Keep Soda Taste Consistent

This is a complaint that’s a little regional — in fact, it can even be warehouse-specific, so you might not experience this issue with your own hometown Costco. We’ve found that Costco’s soda can be noticeably inconsistent, and we wish the food courts would sync up and keep the flavor and quality at the same level from location to location.

As Reddit users summed it up, “The sodas are always hit and miss. You always have to make sure to taste it first before you fill up the whole cup.” And when you’re springing for one of those hot dog combos featuring soda, you want your drink to be just as good as the last time you visited. But unfortunately, the flavor of even simple Coca-Cola can vary from visit to visit. Across the country, you’ll have a different experience, too — while one shopper said their Costco’s food court sodas have “tasted nothing like Coke for the past year,” another said their location is “TOP TIER… It’s better than anywhere I’ve been.” 

So, we wish Costco’s food courts would fine-tune their soda ratios and carbonation amount to deliver a more consistent sipping experience across the board.