Why Costco's $1.50 Food Court Hot Dog Water Bottle Combo Isn't Worth Your Money

Costco's hot dogs are so delicious that for more than 40 years, they have been a massive draw for customers. In 2025, the food court classic sold 245 million units. What's more, the beloved combo has remained priced at $1.50 since its introduction in 1984. Judging by a Costco executive's blunt remarks that once turned heads, the cost won't be changing anytime soon. Co-founder Jim Sinegal once famously said to a former CEO, "If you raise (the price of the) [expletive] hot dog, I will kill you" (via Today). However, a recent tweak in the combo offering has some shoppers now calling for the store to lower the price. The reason? People now have the option of requesting a bottle of water in lieu of a soda.

The Instagram account @costcoaisles recently shared a video of the kiosk ordering system displaying the famous combo with two options: hot dog and soda combo, and hot dog and water combo. The poster celebrated the new order option, but some users in the comments weren't sold on the deal. "This doesn't make sense," user @lindeenort said. "I noticed they removed the bottled water vending machine that was $.25 so shouldn't it be $1.25?" 

Even if customers couldn't previously access bottled water for a quarter, there might be reason to question the value of the new offering. After all, the classic soda option afforded customers a 20-ounce cup that they could refill for free. By contrast, choosing the water gets you a 16.9-ounce bottle.

Reddit users at r/Costco who noticed the changes to the order chimed in with mixed reactions. One person noted they don't drink soda and wished their local Costco had the water combo available. A few commenters suggested they could simply fill a soda cup with water from the fountain, rather than waste a plastic bottle. But one user argued, "I'd rather have a bottle vs. pulling water from a fountain which shares a nozzle with a flavored drink, and the fact [is] that most fountains aren't cleaned daily as they should be..."

Costco shoppers in the Facebook group Sonoma County Foodies discussed the new water option, offering a spectrum of opinions. One user said, "Thank you for sharing. I like to get water and now don't have to worry about the cup falling over." Another commenter added, "Single use plastic is destroying the planet." A different user seemed uninterested in both drink choices and called for a third ordering option: "They could just sell the hot dog for a dollar without the coke or water or anything [and] I'd be happy."