Seriously, It's Better To Dine At Costco's Food Court When It's Busy

An afternoon shopping session at Costco can be an internal battle between your brain, the crowd, and your belly. Your brain says you need to check out and leave the busy store as soon as possible, but your belly says it's lunchtime — and the Costco food court items are just too tempting. Costco's food court is pretty iconic — not only can you get a hot dog and soda for $1.50, but the cookies are truly worth the hype. So when you're there at your local Costco in the afternoon, standing amongst the crowd that has joined you in their insatiable lunchtime hunger, and your instinct tells you to cut and run, our advice is to ignore your brain and listen to your gut. The Costco food court is actually at its best when it's busy.

Yes, you read that right. If you find yourself at Costco during the lunchtime rush, you're actually more likely to get the best food. But the lines! The long wait to inhale an inexpensive and delicious hot dog! Turns out, the lunch rush is actually when the kitchen is making the freshest food, and making it as fast as possible to get those hungry Costco food courters fed. "Lunch time is always a safe bet for fresh food," wrote an apparent Costco employee in a Reddit thread where they told people to ask them anything. "'When the lines are long then the churros are good' – confucious," they added. With pizzas assembled within minutes and chicken bakes selling like hot cakes, your food never sits for long during the lunchtime rush, which means it's always hot and fresh. 

If you're more of a Costco early bird, that can work in your favor, too. In addition to serving the freshest food during the lunch hour, the food court is pumping out fresh food during the first hour that the store is open, since that's when the first batch of pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches, and the like, are made.

In true internet fashion, the Costco subreddit r/Costco is full of Costco chatter, including when is the best time to visit the store in general. One Redditor talked about using Google to find out the best timing, noting the morning hours and the importance of the food court in their visit. "Generally, I've found an hour after opening is the best time of day. I would say 15 minutes before they shut the doors is the best, but I've been burned at the food court a couple times. I need my hotdog combo on the way out."

While you wait in that busy line, you may find yourself considering something sweet to complement your meal. Good thinking, because the Costco food court has quite an impressive selection of sweets to choose from, from cookies and ice cream sundaes to fruit smoothies. In early October, Costco added another sweet treat: a caramel brownie sundae. The indulgent sundae is priced at $2.99 and is made with vanilla soft serve ice cream, crispy brownie bites, and salted caramel sauce. The sundae can be customized by swapping out the vanilla for chocolate ice cream, or if you're lucky, vanilla and chocolate swirl, depending on your Costco location.