8 Facts About Costco Food Court Pizza Only A True Fan Would Know

We love going to Costco to stock up on our favorite products in bulk. Whether you're the kind of person who likes to pack your freezer with Costco's frozen meals or you tend to buy a lot of fresh produce there, it's always fun to load up your cart with all of the stuff you need to make it through the week as easily (and deliciously) as possible. But we'd be lying if we said that we're not there at least partially for the Costco food court. From the iconic hot dog to the beloved chicken bake, Costco's food court serves up some undeniably tasty post-shopping fare.

Costco's pizza is no exception. The membership club's food court is an excellent place to buy a whole pie if you're trying to feed a crowd, or you can grab a single slice (or two) to enjoy before or after your shopping trip. But even if you order the pizza every time you're there, there may be some facts about the dish that you're not aware of. Let's take a closer look at the 411 you need about the Costco food court's pizza — we bet your stomach is already grumbling.

If you've ever ordered an entire pizza from Costco, you probably noticed it was cut into 12 pieces — perfect for sharing with your family or a group of friends. But those slices look a bit different if you order them by the slice. This is because Costco food court employees use a special metal tool that separates the pizza into six slices, and this is what they sell when you order by the slice. However, if you're ordering the full pie, they then cut each of those six slices in half.

This can be confusing if you're not used to buying pizza from the Costco food court, but once you think about it, it makes sense. You probably want a decently large portion if you're buying a slice or two, and you'll get that with those massive slices. However, a big slice of pizza isn't always easy to eat, so we appreciate them cutting it into smaller slices when we're planning on sharing. Keep this in mind the next time you order, so you don't end up ordering way more (or way less) than you really want.

A lot of people are absolutely diehard fans of Costco's pizza. But what sets Costco's pie apart from the pizza you'll find at other pizza places? A lot of it comes down to how much cheese Costco layers on. The membership club doesn't skimp on its cheese mixture (which is purported to be mozzarella and provolone), piling it on until each slice is loaded with melty, gooey goodness. 

Wondering exactly how much cheese goes on every pizza? It really depends on which variety you order. On the pepperoni pizza, you'll find 14 ounces of cheese, which is certainly nothing to scoff at. But real cheese lovers should opt for the cheese pie instead. This pizza offers 24 whole ounces of cheese for maximum cheesiness. There's not a single inch of this pizza that isn't slathered with queso, which is probably why so many cheese lovers rave about Costco (beyond the store's solid cheese selection, anyway).

There are times when you go to Costco that you treat the trip like an event: Browse through all the aisles, pick up some random snacks for your next movie night, and grab a bite at the end to reward yourself for making it through the bustling chaos. But other trips you take to Costco might be more focused and time-sensitive. When you don't have an unlimited amount of time to spend at Costco, but you still want to snag yourself a pizza to take home with you, you might want to consider calling ahead to place your order. That way, when you're ready for your pizza, you can grab it and get on with your day.

If you're planning on spending a decent amount of time shopping before you take your pizza home, though, you can always place your order directly at the counter before you do your shopping, then pick it up once you've checked out. Some sources say it takes about 15 minutes to prepare a pie, while others have had to wait 25 to 30 minutes, so plan your trip accordingly.

Have you ever noticed how just about every Costco pepperoni pizza seems to look the same? The pepperoni is evenly spread over the top of the pie, so there are no gaps and no overlapping pieces. Not only does this make for an attractive-looking pizza, but it also ensures you get an ideal pepperoni-to-cheese ratio in every bite. It turns out there's a very specific way that Costco food court employees are required to layer on that pepperoni to ensure consistency across orders.

It's called a "4-3-2-1" pattern, which means that across the top layer of each slice, you'll find four pieces of pepperoni. The next layer down has three, then two on the next layer, and finally, a single pepperoni at the bottom of each slice. This ensures that you get 10 pepperoni pieces on every large slice when you order by the slice and 60 pepperoni total on a complete pie. Now, that doesn't mean that every Costco pie comes out perfectly, but there's at least an intention behind how they're supposed to look. You can employ this same method when you make your own pizza at home.

Halloween is one of the most exciting nights of the year, especially if you have little ones who are planning on going out trick-or-treating. But because so many families are busy on this night — which may or may not fall on a weekend — making dinner from scratch may not be in the cards. It's easier to grab a meal to-go, and Costco's pizza is a great option. The pizzas are substantial in size, and they're available at an affordable price point. That may be why Costco is known for selling a lot of pizzas on Halloween.

According to some Redditors, the Costco food court is a wild place on Halloween, with some reporting wait times in excess of four hours just to get a whole pie. In fact, at some Costcos, members are urged to place their pizza orders ahead of Halloween to ensure that they don't have to wait for too long. We recommend either taking that advice or just buying a frozen pizza at the grocery store and calling it a day. Sure, that may not sound quite as good as a Costco pizza, but some frozen options arguably taste even better than delivery.

Will a robot take your job someday? It's a question a lot of people are asking themselves, and for good reason: AI is set to reshape the economy in ways that aren't entirely clear yet. But at Costco's food court, robots have already taken up some of the most vital pizza-making tasks. Not only does a robot flatten the dough, but it also applies sauce to make sure it's evenly distributed. At that point, it's finally handed off to a real human, who's responsible for piling on the cheese and other toppings.

Is Costco's pizza robot interesting to watch? Sure — it's certainly a novelty. But at the same time, we don't particularly love the idea of a machine doing a job a real person could be paid to do instead. The machine ensures that Costco's pizzas are as uniform as possible, but uniformity doesn't make a pizza good. After seeing Costco's pizza robot in action, we want to frequent the local pizza shop instead.

If you ask us, calories shouldn't really matter when you're ordering a pizza. It's not really a health food anyway, and if you're regarding it as a treat, you can probably afford a few more calories for this fun and tasty indulgence. But if you are keeping a close eye on your calorie intake, it may be important to know how many calories each slice of Costco pizza has. Surprisingly enough, the pepperoni pizza has fewer calories than the cheese variety.

This may not make sense immediately, since the pepperoni pizza has an additional ingredient. Shouldn't the presence of the pepperoni push those calories even higher? But in reality, you're getting less cheese on the pepperoni pizza than you are on the cheese variety, which is where the difference in calorie count is coming from. Ultimately, the difference is negligible — a slice of pepperoni offers 650 calories, while a slice of the cheese will give you 710 calories. But hopefully, knowing these numbers can help you make a better selection at the Costco food court.

Have you ever gotten up to the counter of your local Costco food court and couldn't decide what kind of pizza to order? Maybe the extra cheesiness of Costco's pizza sounded amazing until you caught sight of those crispy, perfectly laid pepperoni. Or maybe half of your family likes pepperoni while the other prefers cheese. You may assume that you have to buy two whole pizzas to get a taste of both, but that's not the case. Instead, you can order a half cheese/half pepperoni pizza so you get a little bit of both.

And you don't have to worry that the cheesy side of the pizza isn't going to be cheesy enough. According to Redditors who claim to be Costco employees, they still put extra cheese on the cheese half, so you're not getting ripped off. No more fighting over whether to get cheese or pepperoni when you can have both.