6 Frequent Customer Complaints Made About Costco's Food Court

Shopping is a hungry business, and Costco has always understood this. Back in the early 1980s, it used to supply customers with hot dogs from a cart outside the entrance to ensure they had enough sustenance to power them around the aisles. Of course, over the years, that simple hot dog stand turned into a fully fledged food court, and now hungry shoppers can treat themselves to everything from smoothies and pizza to sandwiches and ice cream, and, of course, there are still plenty of hot dogs to go around.

But while popular, Costco's food court isn't always widely loved. In fact, many find the experience of grabbing a quick bite before or after they stock up on bulk essentials stressful, overwhelming, and sometimes, pretty dirty and unpleasant. Some continue to go despite these complaints because they want the cheap food, while others are put off entirely. We combed through Reddit threads to find out the frequent customer complaints made about Costco's food court, and some people truly didn't mince their words.

Let's be honest, most people don't head to the Costco food court if they're craving something nutritious. We mean no offense, Costco; we know you have a fruit smoothie on the menu, but the majority of the options don't scream "health" to us. But that's okay, because sometimes, after a few hours navigating busy aisles and decision fatigue over which bulk deal is the best, a $1.50 hot dog is all shoppers want. Not everyone, though.

Some shoppers find Costco's lack of healthy options frustrating. "I love Costco, and I would eat at the Costco food court so much more if they had actual somewhat healthy options," said one Redditor in the r/Costco subreddit. They added: "Not everyone is in the mood for pizza, hot dogs, fried chicken or friggin ice cream all the time!" They're not alone; in another thread, one user said they had stopped eating Costco pizza due to "the amount of fat and grease alone," while others expressed concern about the amount of calories in the menu items. 

Plenty of people have speculated that the reason Costco's food is unhealthy is because it's so cheap, and they're onto something. There is research to suggest that nutritious foods are often more expensive. "If you're not looking for cheap and quick calories (that happen to taste above average) at that moment, [Costco food court] is probably not the place for you," said another Redditor.

For other shoppers, it's not the nutritional content of the menu that puts them off heading to the Costco food court for a bite to eat, but the state of the tables. "I have yet to find a clean table at a Costco," said one Reddit user in the r/Costco subreddit. They went on to explain they've visited Costco locations in New England and Hawaii and "never saw a clean table or even heard of the existence of one."

Dirty tables are very off-putting for many diners, and it makes sense. It's actually a health code red flag, and signals a general low standard of hygiene. But sanitation aside, nobody wants to munch on a hot dog or a slice of pizza on a sticky surface that's covered in other people's trash. It's just not pleasant.

Sometimes, messy customers are to blame, but other times, people say it's the workers in the food court making the situation worse. In fact, one Redditor said they once saw a food court worker sweep a table surface with a broom, after they had swept the floor with it. "At that exact second we immediately picked our arms up off the table and decided to never touch the top of a Costco table ever again," they wrote.

Costco is one of the biggest and most popular shopping destinations in the U.S. In fact, it comes third to only Walmart and Amazon in terms of demand. So, of course, it gets busy. Like, really, really busy. In fact, sometimes it feels like you're battling with an entire state of people to get to your favorite frozen breakfast staples and baked treats.

Unfortunately for food court lovers, those same crowds also want their fix of cheap hot food before they go home, too. This can make for a pretty stressful and busy experience, leading to longer wait times, lots of noise, and pressure to eat your food quickly to make room for others waiting to pounce on your table.

Some choose to simply get their food and leave the store as soon as possible to avoid the crowds, while others say competing with droves of shoppers just for a hot dog puts them off the food court completely. "Often I decide it's not worth fighting crowds to go to the counter to order," said one Redditor in the r/Costco subreddit. Another added: "Ours is always dirty or full. My last three trips I've skipped the food court completely."

When you're tired and hungry after grocery shopping, the last thing you want to do is wait for ages to get a hot meal — especially if that hot meal is just an individual pizza slice. That's why another frequent complaint from Costco food court customers is how long it takes to get their food.

Many people blame the ordering systems in some food courts, which involves paying one person at the kiosk and then moving into another line to wait for another person to make the food. Shoppers also say the food courts are routinely understaffed, which is also a major culprit for delays. "We skip the food court most [of] the time now because it's abysmally slow," said one person in the r/CostcoWholesale subreddit.

Many have even speculated that Costco is deliberately not improving its food court service, because it's not a profitable venture for the chain. "I know there is a lot of thought that goes into these processes, so I can't help but think they're purposely driving people away from the food court," continued the Redditor. It's true that $1.50 hot dogs are a loss leader, and they aren't generating huge amounts of money for Costco in this economy. However, there is no evidence to suggest the company is deliberately trying to turn people away from the food court with bad service.

You don't have to go to business school to understand that good organization is key to efficiency and fast service in a foodservice environment. When everyone knows their place, and effective systems are in place for quick, hygienic service, things are smoother, and customers are happier. However, despite the company's overall success, many customers say that Costco is falling down on efficiency and organization in its food courts.

The biggest issues for people include not having enough space to park your cart by your table, a lack of an assembly line system for food, and a confusing order of items on the counter. "The straws are on the pickup counter, the lids are next to the condiments. Why are these not next to the soda fountains?" asked one frustrated Redditor. Others agreed, with one person declaring the food court to be a "mad house of confusion."

Again, for many people, the lack of efficiency and organization is enough to put them off the food court completely. "I usually have my family with me when shopping and rarely use the [actual] food court because [it's] a total nightmare," said another Redditor in the r/CostcoWholesale subreddit.

Of course, Costco's food court is far from a gourmet restaurant. You can't expect innovative cooking techniques, layered flavors, and the freshest ingredients from a small canteen in the corner of a warehouse retailer — and most people don't, to be fair. They're happy with the fast food-style fare on offer, as long as it's hot and satisfying. Others, however, say that Costco's food is so bad in terms of flavor and quality, they stay away.

One particularly creative Redditor even claimed in the r/CostcoWholesale subreddit that Costco's pizza is "greasy enough to lubricate industrial machinery," before adding that the turkey in the turkey sandwich was like "biting into a smooth paper." Many other shoppers weren't quite so descriptive, but they do agree that Costco's food just isn't that tasty anymore. "If the food court was its own store I would never go to it," said one Redditor in r/Costco. Another added: "Outside of the hot dog, there is nothing on the menu that I can really say I enjoy eating."

That said, while many agreed that the taste of Costco's food court items can be underwhelming, they noted that the price was enough to keep them coming back for more. "The food is terrible," noted one Redditor. "I get it because it's a good value and the kids like it."