The Internet Is In Shambles After Costco Raised The Price Of A Food Court Fave
There are two things that are certain in life: taxes, and Costco's hot dog combos costing $1.50. The Costco food court staple has set the standard for a lot of people when it comes to expecting affordable prices. But not every item can be as dependable as the Costco hot dog.
In fact, the Costco food court has been going through some changes as of late. Twitter couldn't get over Costco removing a fan-favorite menu item (goodbye, combo pizza), and who could forget the BBQ beef brisket sandwich, which 22% of respondents said they want to make a comeback in a Mashed survey?
Now, even more change is reportedly coming to the Costco food court, and it might make fans of the store want to clutch their $1.50 hot dog combos a little tighter. Two of the most classic Costco food court items are supposedly getting a price increase, and people on TikTok and Reddit are not taking it well. The hot dogs and rotisserie chickens are safe from inflation for now, but Costco's soda and chicken bake are reportedly getting more expensive.
How much is a Costco chicken bake?
In the past, hungry shoppers have been able to enjoy a Costco food court chicken bake for $2.99, washing it down with a $0.59 soda. But now, according to one person on Reddit, the prices are increasing. They posted a reported picture of the food court menu at their Costco, which reflected two price changes. The chicken bake will be a full dollar more expensive, costing $3.99, and the soda is rising 10 cents in price, to $0.69, according to the Redditor. Another TikTok user also posted a video from their Costco, showing a food court employee putting up a sign noting the chicken bake's new $3.99 price.
"Who at Costco HQ lost a limb for this price increase?" one Reddit commenter wanted to know. "Ahhhh, now we know inflation is real," said another. Viewers of the TikTok video were incredulous. "... A whole $1? When I heard about the price hikes I thought it'd be like $0.50," said one TikTok user. "A 33% increase in price over a 9% increase in inflation?" asked another TikToker.
But more than one person had a version of these soothing words to say: "The Costco hot dog and drink for $1.50 will always be there for us." They might be right about that. After all, the last time someone suggested raising the price of the Costco hot dog combo, the CEO apparently threatened to kill them (via 425 Business).
Other Costco foods are getting more expensive, too
The food court's chicken bake isn't the only thing that's seen a price hike at Costco. According to one Reddit post, Costco's sheet cakes are reportedly increasing in price, too. "FYI- Sheet cakes going up in price, $19.99 to $24.99," wrote Reddit user u/donutshopcoffee. The oversized cakes are a Costco bakery staple, and customers were none too pleased that they might need to shell out more for them next time they visit the warehouse.
Other Redditors have reported seeing price increases on Costco muffins and croissants, too. In fact, Costco has addressed the inflation-related price increases of those bakery items, with Costco's Senior Vice President of Finance & Investor Relations, Bob Nelson, saying in a May earnings call (via Seeking Alpha), " ... we took up the price of our muffins and our croissants, I think $1 as the price of a lot of those raw materials have continued to escalate to two and three and four times what they were last year."
Nelson's explanation makes sense — but it doesn't mean customers will be happy with the news.