Costco Nixes a Popular Food Court Item in Favor of Healthier Options

Chances are, if you’re a diehard Costco shopper, you head to the store with all your bulk items in mind that you need to buy. You roll through each aisle, adding huge multipacks of coffee, diapers, and pretzels one could ever need to your cart. And then! Once you’re done shopping, you head to the food court for a delicious $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. Sound about right?

While Costco is known for being a huge warehouse for multipack goods, they’re also known for something else: Their food court, and, more specifically, their $1.50 hot dog combo deal. The deal has been around since they opened—and to this day, they sell over 100 million of these hot dogs a year.

And that’s precisely why they’re not getting rid of those—so don’t fret! Your combo isn’t going anywhere. Did you panic for a second?

Okay, but seriously—they are getting rid of one popular menu item, and it’s pretty similar to the hot dog they use in their infamous combo. It’s the Polish hot dog. Say goodbye to the juicy, fatty, deliciousness, you’ll no longer be able to purchase it soon enough. Sigh.

For those of you upset about this change, there’s a pretty good reason for ditching it: The store is starting to make room for healthier, more nutritious options. After all, the Polish dog has a whopping 570 calories when eaten with the bun, along with 33 grams of fat. Eek.

Costco has also hinted that they’ll be removing other not-so-healthy items from their menu so that they can start selling more nutritional options.

In fact, they’ve even begun to sell a few new vegan and vegetarian options in recent months, so this news shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. For example, they added the Al Pastor Salad, which is made of plant-based protein (soy), romaine lettuce, black beans, and banh mi vegetables and dressing.

And for the person with the sweet tooth who doesn’t want all the added sugar, Costco has recently added their delicious Acai bowl to their menu. The bowl is made with Sambazon Acai mix, baobab, blueberries, strawberries, banana chips, and Costco’s store-brand Kirkland granola. Yum!

Costco has always been known for their fast food—besides hot dogs, they have pizza slices and ice cream galore, all of which is sold at super low prices. The new healthy items on the menu will be a little pricier than you’re used to (not a lot—the acai bowl is only $4.99!), but that’s because the quality be a ton better. And the new items sound absolutely delicious!

Some of the other foods they’re planning to add to their menu include organic burgers and more plant-based protein salads. They’ve seen so much success with their recent additions, so why stop now?

To learn more about these new healthier options we can look forward to at Costco, check out the video below.

 

What do you think of Costco’s decision to get rid of their Polish hot dog and replace unhealthy items with healthier ones? Which new item will you be trying first?