The Food Court Feature Sam's Club Does A Whole Lot Better Than Costco

More than just a place to stop and unwind after spending hours bargain-hunting or a membership perk, the food courts at Costco and Sam's Club have gained a devoted following for their affordable eats. In a previous feature, our own Dani Zoeller sat down to compare the two – and there's one area where Sam's, surprisingly, has pulled ahead of its competitor: the condiment bar.

When Dani was there, Costco's setup had just three basic options in their pump dispensers. Worse, it didn't look very sanitary — there was a lot of sauce splatter around the station. What started as a single hot dog cart turned into Costco's iconic food court, and even if that $1.50 hot dog was a steal, the condiment bar didn't make it appetizing. Additionally, the pumps also mean there'd be a line while people are dressing their food, which can be a nightmare scenario of held-up lines on weekends or busy hours. Sam's Club's approach to their condiment bar was completely different, but surprisingly simple and efficient. Instead of pumping stations, the condiments come in individual packets arranged in bins right next to the napkins and disposable utensils. Not only is it cleaner and more efficient (people can just grab what they want and go without holding up other diners), but Sam's is able to offer more options, too.

While Costco only offers three options (ketchup, mustard, and relish) when Dani was there, Sam's offerings were a whole lot more expansive. In addition to all three of these classics, it also offers mayo, sauerkraut, grated Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes in packets. You've got more wiggle room to customize your hot dogs and sandwiches to your liking while you're at Sam's.

As a matter of fact, this was such a big deal that Costco was once put on blast by members online for their trimmed-down offerings. You see, they actually used to carry sauerkraut packets and more, but they've since been discontinued and now you're stuck with just the three classic options. Many members went on to Reddit to complain about this, with one saying that ever since the sauerkraut was discontinued, they hadn't touched a hot dog. To rub salt in the wound (for Costco), a Redditor even said, to quite a few upvotes, that aside from being a few cents cheaper, the availability of kraut was a big plus that put Sam's over Costco.

A hot dog is rarely ever eaten naked, so taken together, this is a pretty big drawback that made Costco's food court — despite its legendary hot dog combo — far less appealing. A quarter-pound hot dog with a side of Sam's famous swirl – the one food court item you should always order at Sam's Club — is looking real good right now, though!