Here Are Costco’s 3 Best — and Worst — Food Court Deals

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Love Costco’s food court? Some items may be worth the money more so than others. Keep reading for all the details. [[{“value”:”

One of the best parts of shopping at Costco is getting to visit the food court on the way out. And after spending an hour pushing a heavy, overloaded shopping cart around the store, you deserve a quick, easy meal to make up for all the calories you burned navigating your local warehouse club.

But some of Costco’s food court offerings are better deals than others. Here are the top and bottom three.

The winners

Some of Costco’s food court offerings are truly outstanding for the price point. Here are the top three.

1. The $1.50 hot dog and soda combo

These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a meal for as low a price point of $1.50. To be clear, Costco isn’t making money off of its hot dog deal. Rather, that ultra-low price is a gimmick to get customers in the door and ensure that they maintain their memberships.

But if you’re shopping at Costco and suddenly find your stomach rumbling, this is one meal you can buy on a whim without guilt. It’s hard to make a meal that’s comparable in size in your own kitchen for less money.

2. The pizza

Whether it’s a large slice for $1.99 or a whole gigantic pie for $9.95, if you happen to enjoy Costco pizza, then this is one of the better deals you’ll find at the food court. Not only do you get a lot of slice for your buck, but you won’t be charged extra for pepperoni. Best of all, you can call in a whole pizza order ahead of a shopping trip and pick up a piping hot pie on your way out the door.

3. The chicken bake

Costco’s chicken bake is a gooey, cheesy mix of chicken and bacon in a thick, chewy dough. While its $3.99 price point makes it more expensive than a slice of pizza, it’s way more filling. It’s the sort of meal you could easily eat half of and save the remainder for lunch the following day.

The losers

Some of Costco’s food court specials aren’t as tempting or worth the price point as the items above. Here are three that don’t scream “bargain” like the items above.

1. The chocolate chip cookie

If you’re familiar with the chocolate chip cookies in the Costco bakery section, then you should know that the food court offering is basically an oversized version of one of those. The nice thing is that the food court serves its giant cookie warm, so you get the gooey, melty chocolate chip experience a lot of people love.

But the cookie is also incredibly sweet, and you might struggle to finish it by yourself. Also, the $2.50 price isn’t that great because ultimately, you’re getting a snack, not a meal. And since you can buy 24 chocolate chip cookies from the bakery for under $10, shelling out $2.50 for a single cookie doesn’t seem to make financial sense, even if it’s larger in size.

2. The turkey swiss sandwich

It’s not the taste of Costco’s turkey swiss sandwich that’s landed it on this part of the list. It’s that the $6.99 price point doesn’t seem consistent with most of the store’s food court offerings.

Also, it’s not a particularly unique concept. It’s turkey, cheese, and some lettuce on a roll with some spreads for extra flavor. You can save money by making your own version at home, and it’s really not such hard work.

3. The rotisserie chicken Caesar salad

This is perhaps one of Costco’s healthier food court offerings. It’s a salad loaded with lettuce, Parmesan cheese, classic Caesar dressing, and rotisserie chicken breast.

But for $6.99, the price doesn’t seem to add up. Why buy a single serving of salad when you could buy an entire rotisserie chicken for $4.99 and a giant, freshly made Caesar salad for roughly $10 that, when combined, you can easily get four meals out of? Also, if you don’t like the taste of Costco’s rotisserie chicken, you may not like it all that much more in salad form.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to form your own opinion on Costco’s food court offerings. But you should know that some items are a better deal financially than others.

You should also know that Costco has begun cracking down on food court access, so that it’s available to members only. But if you’re a paying member, that could be a good thing, as it may mean shorter lines.

You probably don’t want to join Costco for the food court access alone. But it’s definitely a nice perk that comes with a paid membership.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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