6 Frequent Customer Complaints About Costco's Pizza

You can rely on Costco for many aspects of life, and its food selection feels abundant and never-ending. After you are done adventuring through the aisles, you might feel like stopping by the food court. Whether you buy a single pizza slice to eat after your big day or a whole pie to feed your family or entertain guests at a party, pizza remains a steady food court option (along with the chicken bake).

But before you dive into that slice, we found a fair number of customers with criticisms about the warehouse's pizza. We did the research, hitting various social media platforms to see what customers have to say. We filtered through a lot of feedback and identified the major flaws the pizza seems to have, as well as what people think about them. Some of these have workarounds customers have mentioned, while others are noticeable pain points that cannot be remedied at home. Without further ado, these are the most frequent customer complaints about Costco's pizza.

Some people enjoy cold pizza, while others prefer it piping hot, but we've never encountered anyone who likes a soggy, wet pizza. That is an issue that multiple people bring up with their Costco pies. Sogginess occurs quite often, and sometimes it's the biggest problem people face. Dozens of people agree that the pizza is better when reheated, and although that is certainly useful information, a pizza should be great from the start. People say reheating it in a pan or an air fryer keeps it crispy, not soggy. If you're reheating it at home, avoid heating it in the microwave, as it only further increases the wetness.

Others say the sogginess is so unappealing they just don't want to eat Costco's pizza or that it ultimately yields a too-flimsy pizza. Affordability does not negate the persistent sogginess customers encounter. One TikToker criticized nearly everything about the pizza, saying the wetness is literally "a flop."

Customers also frequently brought up how undercooked Costco's pizzas can be — one Facebook post called it "a pile of doughy tasteless garbage" and said it looks better than it tastes. This isn't a one-time issue either; it's such a widespread, frequent dilemma that we even have a whole article to help you rectify the problem: Ask the workers to cook it a little longer. This might not always work depending on how busy it is, but it is worth a try to ensure you don't get a doughy, gooey, raw pizza. 

Some people claim that their local Costco consistently has this problem and has been so for at least two years. "The dough in the center 25% of the pizza is genuinely raw every time I bring one home," they shared. Others say this happens occasionally with their store or that the pizza was both undercooked and cold. Some share that this was an issue even years ago with the combo pizza, so it seems widespread across the various pizza types. Sure, you can heat it in the oven, but as one Redditor points out, the whole point of buying the pie in the first place is to save yourself time and extra steps.

On some level, you always know that pepperoni will be greasy, but the sheer pool of oil on Costco's pizza can be pretty off-putting. It is something that customers consistently complain about. Some show off photos of their slice, and there are puddles of reddish, pepperoni-infused grease piled onto the plate. "Costco pepperoni slices suck now, too greasy every single time," one Redditor laments. This can affect not only the flavor, leaving you with a very oily taste and mouthfeel, but also make things extremely messy. 

Some people in the Reddit thread say you have to use a napkin to absorb excess oil, or that it's actually a good kind of greasy. But other folks side with the original poster, saying they simply would never buy it. The pepperoni is definitely the worst culprit, but we have found that the cheese pizza is greasy, too. "I don't mind pizza being a little greasy, but my local Costco's pizza is basically inedible," one person responded. "It's soaked through and pretty gross." The problem is big enough for some customers to call it quits on ordering it, while others say Sam's Club's offering is much better. Alternatively, one food court pizza tip for less grease is to ask for less cheese and for it to be cooked longer.

Pizza is meant to have an interesting, chewy crust, perhaps an acidic and umami-rich sauce, as well as a gooey, milky cheese. Then, of course, any toppings add flavor and texture to the equation. However, many customers note that Costco's pizza is quite flavorless. To start, the cheese pizza often misses the mark. A Tasting Table writer considered it the worst thing on the food court menu. They mentioned how every part of it was unpleasant, covering a lot of the ground that we've discussed, such as it being greasy, but they also called it "devoid of flavor." And why would customers want to buy that? It doesn't really entice the senses. "It just tastes like old, melted cheese that coats the teeth, lips, and hands in a sheen of oil," our writer said. 

Plenty of other Costco members agree with this assessment and have issues with every part of the pizza. Some say the crust is flavorless, and others think the sauce tastes watered down or like low-quality store-bought sauce. Customers say they tend to add some seasoning once they get home to make it taste better. Of course, it's always nice to add things like red pepper flakes and packets of Parmesan you get at a pizza joint, but a pizza should still taste good on its own. And that is not the case, according to customers.

When you go to the Costco food court to pick up a pie, you don't have to think too hard about what flavor you want. You only have two options, after all: pepperoni and cheese. This doesn't exactly offer much in terms of added flavor or texture and seems limiting. As such, people want the combo pizza back; after all, thousands of shoppers' hearts were broken when it departed (the menu, that is). People are consistently asking for it to return to Costco's pizza lineup. It was an interesting option, with pepperoni, Italian sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, red onion, and black olive slices.

Others share that they are sick of the warehouse chain adding random products to the menu when it should just give people what they want: the combo pizza back. People even say they would pay extra to get the combo 'za. Customers call it their favorite out of Costco's pizza selection, and that it's still highly missed. Some say even a sausage and pepperoni combination would be a nice addition to the menu, or perhaps the veggie. 

Another common thread we noticed is people saying the pizza as a whole is not good; it's not that there was a specific issue with the crust or sogginess, but rather that it is a wholly unpleasant offering from the food court. Some adjectives that came up were: terrible and "cheap cr*p". Others have very strong feelings about the pizza, sharing that "It's not mediocre, it's downright terrible." 

Folks have claimed that it generally makes them feel ill after eating it — that could easily be a result of the sheer amount of grease or cheese, but it's hard to tell. Some say the only benefit is cost-effectiveness, but overall, the quality and flavor are lacking. One Costco member said that their entire family dislikes the pizza and won't even touch it. "I'm the kind of person who thinks even bad pizza is good, and I can only get a few bites of the Costco pizza down," they said.