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Secrets of the food court
The Costco food courts are a topic of interest to many people and have already been the subject of multiple posts (Out for lunch…at Costco?; Costco food courts around the country and the world; “Costco Kimchi” in South Korea…taking the “free sample” concept a little too far?). Therefore, when I found these two articles about “secrets” of the food courts, I thought they would make good “food for thought” (sorry, couldn’t resist…)
I am not going to comment on all of the points made in these articles, but will discuss some of them. I will also try to piece together some of the information from the articles because I think some of it fits together (the bold text indicates a “secret” from the article).
The chocolate-dipped ice cream bar might never come back.
I never tried this item. Although I have heard they are delicious, and, despite my love of ice cream (favorite food!), I am not a huge fan of ice cream novelties (I really have no interest in ice cream sandwiches or bars). But, given how often Costco tends to discontinue favorite items (It’s Gone? Discontinued Products), I bet I would have loved it (and therefore been terribly disappointed when it disappeared!
Management does not want employees to skimp on pizza oil.
As someone who does not love oily pizza (neither the idea nor the taste of it), I find this secret one that I would rather not know (although I imagine that the slimy yellow liquid dripping off would be a pretty good tell…) But, this secret leads to the issue of why:
The Pizza and Chicken Bake are Outrageously Unhealthy
therefore, although:
Employees Will Give You a Nutrition Info Printout if You Ask,
you may not want to know!
Speaking (well, writing) of the pizza…
It’s One of America’s Largest Pizza Chains
Costco has around 400 locations in the United States, and with all but a few selling pizza, this officially makes it the 15th largest pizza chain in America in terms of number of units, with more locations than chains including California Pizza Kitchen, Fox’s Pizza Den, and Jet’s Pizza.
Well, I have to admit that I have never heard of the latter two chains in this list of three…if they said it sold more than chains such as Domino’s (which was always terrible pizza), I would have been very surprised. (I wonder how much more they would sell if Costco delivered?)
Costco may be able to sell so many pizzas because:
Their Pizzas Take Under a Minute to Prep
and because, in addition to a lot of oil,
The cheese pizza is made with love . . . and these two cheeses (mozzarella and provolone)
Enough about the pizza…how about that chicken bake:
The chicken bake recipe is delicious but pretty simple.
Apparently the secret ingredient in the chicken bake is pizza dough. They then roll up the ingredients in the dough.
Despite this employee claiming that the secret is the dough, according to the other article,
The Secret to The Chicken Bake is Caesar Dressing
So, I guess, although the employees agree that the chicken bake is a special product, they disagree as to what makes it so. I think it is funny that both articles highlight the chicken bake because it has always been the item that my family and I joke about as the one that I would be least likely (aka NEVER) to order. In fact, right before writing this post, I was talking to my dad who was in Costco (well, I guess the chances of him being in Costco when I call *are* pretty high) and told him some good news. Of course, he said, “should I buy you a chicken bake to celebrate”? (See, we really *do* joke about these chicken bakes).
One final secret about the chicken bakes:
You can order the chicken bake without bacon — but there’s a catch.
I find it funny that you can custom order an item from the Costco food court. While it is not a surprise to me given the high quality customer service provided at Costco (May I help you? Checking out at Costco), I do think the idea of people planning in advance to “go out to eat” at Costco is funny (even though I did write an article about people eating lunch there (Out for lunch…at Costco?) I was thinking it was more of a spontaneous lunch outing rather than one planned far enough in advance to call “the restaurant” and request the chicken bake without bacon).
Employees don’t get a discount.
I didn’t realize that employees receive a free executive membership. That is a good benefit of working there. However, I am surprised that they are not entitled to discounts on food. True, the food is cheap to begin with, but I still would have thought that they would get an extra percentage off.
One Menu Spot is Kept Open for Rotating Items
When in doubt, ask for a new churro.
Although I have never eaten a churro at Costco, this is a helpful tip to know. Freshness is something that I learned a lot about growing up. From a very young age, my parents taught us to always “check the date” on products, especially ones with short shelf lives. I remember the (silly) sense of pride I had when I would check the date on the item as had selected and then on one further back and declare the second one checked the winner because it showed that checking was the right move. However, there were times when I had to go without a product because the date wasn’t good enough. I would say “but I’m going to finish it way before….” but my dad held firm. “Yes, but that is not a good date, so it shows that there are fresher products out there). My father also taught us to monitor the refill situation at buffets. If a chaffing dish was running low, he would have us wait a few minutes to see if it would get refilled or ask the waiter refilling the dishes if it would soon be refilled. Then, if it was refilled, he would have us pay attention to where the new food was placed (usually underneath the older food) and take from that section. (I know, I know, what are people very concerned with freshness doing eating at buffets anyway? Hey, sometimes something has to give…and if that something is the opportunity for all-you-can eat waffles, then sure, let me at them!)
What do you think of these secrets? Were any surprises?
Any thoughts on or stories about any of them?
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