Who Really Makes Sam's Club Food Court Hot Dogs?

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There has long been a rivalry between Sam's Club and Costco, and one of the biggest areas of competition is the chains' respective food courts. The Sam's Club Café serves many of the same menu items as the Costco food court, with many shoppers divided on who does it better. One particular area of debate concerns the chain's trademark hot dogs. When comparing the Costco vs. Sam's Club food court hot dogs, it's important to note that Sam's Club actually reduced the cost of its hot dog combo from $1.50 to a mere $1.38 in a direct effort to beat Costco's iconic $1.50 hot dog deal. Unlike Costco, the Sam's Club Café serves two different types of hot dogs: all-beef franks and cheddar cheese pork franks. But what brand is really behind Sam's Club's hot dogs?

One thing that both warehouse giants have in common is that each one sells its own private-label hot dogs in its food courts. Just like Costco's hot dogs are Kirkland ¼ pound beef dinner franks, Sam's Club's private-label brand, Member's Mark, is the brand behind Sam's Club Café hot dogs. The café serves both Member's Mark Cheddar Cheese Pork Franks and classic ¼-pound all-beef franks. Sam's Club uses the Member's Mark label to produce a wide range of products that are sold in the warehouse, from groceries and prepared meals to clothing and home goods. Member's Mark, like Costco's Kirkland Signature brand, was designed to be an affordable alternative to the name brands that are also sold in the warehouses.

At one point, Sam's Club did serve the Nathan's brand hot dogs, and some Café locations might still do so. While both the Sam's Club official website and Facebook page confirm that its Café serves Member's Mark hot dogs, some online sources indicate that certain locations still offer the Nathan's brand. We reached out to its customer service team just to get to the bottom of this mystery.

According to a Sam's Club customer service representative, most Sam's Club Cafés now serve Member's Mark hot dogs exclusively. However, the rep further suggested that if we were looking for a specific location that might still serve Nathan's, we should contact the local Sam's Club Café directly to confirm.

If you're a die-hard Nathan's fan, it may be worth it to call your local Sam's Club Café and ask what brand of hot dogs they serve. If your local warehouse only has Member's Mark, the good news is that a lot of customers find them just as tasty as the Kirkland-brand franks served at Costco — plus you'll save 12 cents.