Whatever Happened To Costco Food Court Gelato?

Shoppers love Costco for its high-quality to price ratio as well as the food court treats with which every visit to the warehouse giant should end. However, there is always the fear of our favorite products getting the dreaded "death star" — a sign that the store is discontinuing them. Over the years, members have bemoaned the loss of many discontinued Costco items, and some of the most sorely missed are from the food court. In fact, there are some items that didn't even go mainstream and were only available in a limited number of outlets for only a few years. Even during their short stints, items like the Costco food court gelato, which was only available at around 30 locations, left such an impression on customers that they continue to miss it a decade on from its discontinuation.

Costco gelato was available in chocolate, strawberry, and stracciatella (vanilla with threads of chocolate mixed in), with pistachio eventually replacing strawberry. In classic Costco fashion, an oversized waffle cone came loaded with three scoops of gelato (you could even choose to get a mix of flavors) and was priced at only $1.50. Alternatively, a quart was $4.99 — an absolute steal for freshly made gelato. One Reddit user said that the price "even puts the Hot Dog and Soda combo to shame." Unfortunately, it seems that the delicious price is what got Costco gelato in trouble. Despite its popularity, the item failed to make a profit and was likely a loss-maker for the company, which resulted in it getting axed from the menu.

Losing your favorite sweet (or savory) treat from the Costco menu is frustrating, and even more so knowing that it's still available at Costco food courts in other countries. Members in the U.K. and Iceland have it good, with their Costco food courts still serving up four flavors of gelato: Amarena cherry, stracciatella, mint chocolate chip, and salted caramel. Still, it's worth noting that a triple-scoop of Costco gelato costs about the equivalent of $3.70 in the U.K., which is more than double what it once cost in the United States. 

Another dessert that is sorely missed, despite being removed from the Costco food court menu over a decade ago, is the hand-dipped ice cream bar. These vanilla ice cream bars dipped in chocolate and covered in almond chunks were prepared to order. Of course, this wasn't the most efficient way of serving a dessert, which could be one of the reasons Costco discontinued the food court ice cream bars. Unlike gelato, these hand-dippedtreats were exclusive to the U.S., and don't seem to have appeared on international Costco food court menus.