Don't Eat At The Costco Food Court Again Until You Watch This

Costco's

food

court

offers a full menu of cheap, filling, and, dare we say, really good

food

. But if you've never dined at Costco, there are a few things you should know beforehand to help maximize the experience. The right to eat at a Costco food

court

used to be considered one of the perks of being a Costco member and not an option for the general public. But if you're not the type of person who wants to buy in bulk and only go to the food court, it will take a lot of hot dogs to make the $60 annual membership fee worth it. "I have tons of that at Costco.

You see, I have an exclusive membership card. And with that card, I have access to the whole place." You might think you'd need that shiny membership card to get into Costco's food court, but it turns out that's not the case. A Costco representative confirmed to Cooking Light in 2018 what we all secretly hoped was true, as the food court is, in fact, open to all members of the public. If your local Costco has an outdoor food court, you can simply walk up to the window and place your order, no questions asked. But if you're visiting a place with an indoor food court, you'll probably have to enter through the exit to find that glorious display of cheap eats.

If you have questions about where to go, ask an employee at the door. They will be happy to point you in the right direction. If you find yourself in a long checkout line at Costco, you may be discouraged at the prospect of having to wait in yet another line just to place an order in the food court. After all, after you've waited to put $400 worth of spaghetti sauce on your battered and broken debit card, the thought of repeating the entire process just to add another $1.50 to your account may seem daunting. Fortunately, there is a solution. If you know what you plan to order at the food court, you can politely ask your cashier at the warehouse to add your foods to your main order.

You can then walk up with your receipt and show it to whoever is working the food court counter. Just like that, you have a complete set of bulk pantry items and a delicious hot dog ready to eat, all in one transaction, without risking further hand injuries when swiping your card. If you think a stop at the Costco food court could be part of a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, you're probably barking up the wrong tree. Pizza is comically bad for you. So is Costco's signature baked chicken, which is basically a Hot Pocket-style blend of chicken breast and bacon, all held together by rivers of melted cheese and Caesar salad dressing.

Costco does not post nutritional information for its food court items online, although it does offer printed copies in person. In terms of total calories per serving, Spoon University has identified pepperoni pizza, hot turkey and provolone sandwich, and baked chicken as the worst offenders. A single slice of pepperoni pizza has 710 fat-soaked calories, elevating a snack into full-meal territory pretty quickly. The hot turkey and provolone sandwich has 730 calories, which is plenty for a post-shopping lunch. In some ways, baked chicken is even worse, as it has a calorie load of 770, which is a pretty hefty portion of what the average person should eat in an entire day.

If you have a busy day planned, you might not think you have time to sit down to a hot, freshly baked pizza. After all, at most pizzerias, you have to place your order, then wait while it cooks, and then they put it in a box or on a metal tray. Most of the time, eating a pizza is a process that takes at least half an hour, and that's not counting the time it takes to eat it. But that's not the case at Costco, where pizza making is a record-breaking science. The thawed dough balls are loaded into sheeters, which automatically press the dough into thin, perfectly round pizza shapes.

The dough is transferred to perforated molds and then placed under a pizza sauce spraying robot that rotates the dough and ensures even coverage. The entire pizza-making process can take less than 30 seconds, which means if you're craving some sauce and cheese, Costco can take care of you right away. Even if the trays of ready-to-serve slices are empty, all hope is not lost. Ask the cashier when more slices will be ready and it will probably be much quicker than you expect. "PIZZA! Pizza, pizza, go face down, I'm so hungry, hungry." While the wait time for a slice of Costco pizza can be incredibly short, that's not always the case for an entire pie.

There have to be slices ready for that long line of pizza fans, which means there isn't always an extra pie to spare. But if you don't want to wait for your pizza to cook, you can game the system a little by ordering ahead and planning your day around your pizza. That's how most of us live our lives anyway. As reported by Taste of Home, Friday and Saturday nights tend to be the best time to eat pizza at Costco. During these nights, customers can wait at least 20 to 30 minutes to enjoy the pizza. But if you stop by the food court before doing the rest of your shopping, you can place your order and let it bubble in the oven while you pick up everything else on your shopping list.

If you time it right, you'll bite into your first slice right after you've finished walking the aisles. At most Costcos, you can even call ahead and place your order over the phone, ensuring a hot, fresh, and ready pizza when you are! Costco is famous for selling only a few different types of pizza. There's plain cheese, pepperoni, and the "combo" pie consisting of pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, olives, sausage, and mushrooms. But what if you wanted more cheese, or a half-and-half pie with pepperoni on one side, or a combination without onion or more mushrooms? For the most part, the Costco food court will try to work with you to accommodate your requests.

When it comes to additional toppings,

this

seems to be left to the whims and attitude of the pizza maker, according to a Costco employee who spoke on Reddit. Apparently it depends on how busy the store is and how calm the managers and supervisors are. But some requests may simply be a bridge too far. For example, whatever you do, don't try to order that pizza combo without onions. Many Costco food courts insist that their vegetable mixes are "premixed," which would make it virtually impossible to leave out a single ingredient. Costco hot dogs are custom made into high-quality, quarter-pound behemoths that can satisfy even the hungriest customers.

Adding a fountain soda brings the total cost of the combo to just $1.50, which is a mere change when compared to other fast food meals. And

this

is not just a great value. It's delicious too! Unlike the typical boiled weiners you might expect at a gas station, Costco's hot dog is an impressive meaty sausage with plenty of smoky notes reminiscent of a backyard barbecue. It bears more than a passing resemblance to a kielbasa, but without all the gnarly nuggets of fat and gristle you'd find in a more coarsely ground smoked sausage. The all-meat hot dog isn't the only reason this snack is so delicious, as the bun represents the gold standard in hot dog container technology.

It's almost unbelievably smooth, but its most impressive feature is its ability to withstand the attack of as many ingredients as good judgment will allow you to add. No matter how much mustard, ketchup, or relish you add, the bun never breaks, becomes soggy, or falls apart. It's pretty close to magic, and all for $1.50. "Hot dog and drink. Fantastic deal at $1.50. Same price they've had for 30 years." When it comes to maximizing the ratio of "as many calories as possible" to "as low as possible," extra toppings can make the difference between a meal that will leave you satisfied for the rest of the afternoon and one that will leave you feeling satisfied. satisfied. looking for crumbs in the car a few minutes after eating.

At Costco, there are more opportunities to score free extra toppings than you might think, even in the case of the humble hot dog. In addition to the ketchup, mustard, and sweet pickle relish you can apply as you see fit, many Costco locations also have a few additional options hidden behind the counter. These include chopped raw onions and a tub of sauerkraut which is free just for asking. So, your standard hot dog has been transformed into a smorgasbord of extra texture, saltiness, and those all-important extra calories without adding extra costs. "If it's an all-beef hot dog, I'm pretty sure that cow had a very high-quality life." While pizza and hot dogs are available everywhere and universally amazing, you might start to get a little tired of them from time to time.

Fortunately, it turns out that Costco food court menus can vary a bit depending on location. While Costco food courts always offer their basic, standard offerings, many also add an extra item or two to try to incorporate a little local flavor into their menus. For example, Canadian Costcos often offer crispy chicken wings, at a bargain price of just $6.99 for ten wings. They also have a version of French-Canadian poutine, which consists of French fries drenched in cheese curds and brown gravy. Select California locations offer the Al Pastor salad, which costs $4.99 and comes loaded with chopped romaine lettuce, fresh greens and a soy-based protein, seasoned with Mexican seasonings.

And if you love teriyaki chicken, you can even find it at some Costcos, although you'll probably have to visit somewhere in Japan to do so. When hunger strikes, no one wants to be confronted with a mile-long line outside a Costco food court. After all, when you're hungry, waiting even a few more minutes can seem like an eternity. But instead of tweeting angrily about it, consider the fact that long lines at Costco can often translate into fresher, better, hotter food. It makes sense if you think about it. When lines are long, it means more food is delivered more quickly, making it less likely that you'll end up with a slice of pizza that was made hours before or a baked chicken that's past its prime.

You don't even need to ask employees to make sure your order is fresh. "That's really good." "I feel like I know you well enough to know that you're freaking out right now. You haven't been this happy since your wedding day." Cold churros are a big pain. Nobody wants an old hot dog. And a baked chicken whose insides have frozen into a gummy mass can ruin your entire day. But at Costco's food court, unlike many notable fast food establishments, you don't have to accept your bad luck by scarfing down a lukewarm meal and hoping for a better experience next time.

Turns out that's not the Costco way. At Costco, the food court employees want you to have a good experience. Therefore, they will be happy to offer a replacement for any low quality or less fresh items at no additional cost. Just remember when requesting a replacement that people who work in the service industry are human beings like the rest of us. So getting an extra helping of "please" and "thank you" can do wonders for greasing the wheels when preparing fresh, piping hot food. That's something to keep in mind at any food establishment, but it might be especially true at Costco.

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