Retired Costco Food Court Items That Should Come Back

Costco just loves to discontinue things, folks. The big-box store is famous for its wide selection of items and its copious quantities of everything, but it's also famous for taking away customer favorites without any warning. While some discontinued Costco products make a comeback eventually, others are doomed never to be revived again, leaving shoppers missing those things they used to love buying. Perhaps where people are most passionate about discontinued items is in Costco's food court. Over the years, people have formed strong emotional attachments to the foods and drinks that they consumed to revive themselves after a long shopping trip, and when these items were retired, it left a lot of folks in uproar.

Plus, because Costco doesn't have an official online menu for its United States stores, and because items can vary from place to place, it can take a while before people realize that items have been discontinued. As a result, news usually spreads through online messaging boards and comment sections, with customers breaking the news to each other instead of the store doing so. Menu items like the Polish dogs, chocolate dipped ice cream bars, and its BBQ beef brisket sandwich have become the stuff of legends — and every now again a food court item becomes so big that Costco itself has to put out a statement. Ready to be reminded of all those foods you can't get anymore? Let's take a peek at the ones we really miss.

Back in 2017, Costco decided to give burger restaurants a run for their money. The result was its cheeseburger, which debuted at 10 different Costco locations across the country, including Seattle and Southern California. This burger came in at $4.99, and while that might sound like a lot for a burger compared to some other chain restaurants, you got what you paid for. Costco's Shake Shack-inspired burger was a real whopper, with a Challah bread bun and an organic beef patty, and a thick slice of cheddar cheese crowning it.

People immediately fell in love with Costco's cheeseburger, but it never quite took off nationwide. Then, in 2020, disaster struck. Costco took the burger off its menus at the locations that offered it, and put up signs explaining that it was only a test item, which clearly didn't prove successful enough to be placed in every store. People who had tried the burger noted that while they were sad it was gone, they could understand why Costco hadn't rolled it out further, given that its hand-made prep likely got in the way of speed in the food court. We hope that Costco figures out a way to quicken things up, so they can bring it back.

Few Costco food court items have made as big of a splash as Polish dogs. This discontinued hot dog was an alternative to its regular (and very successful) all-beef hot dog, which has remained famously affordable since it first debuted. The Polish dog, however, took things to the next level, placing a thicker sausage inside its buns and guaranteeing way more satisfaction. People fell head over heels for this thing, but in 2018 Costco decided that one hot dog was enough to keep its customers happy, and removed the Polish dog for good.

As you can imagine, people were not happy about this in the slightest, and their reaction was loud enough that Costco took the unprecedented move of releasing a statement on its website. In it, Costco claimed that it removed the Polish dog "in order to simplify our menu and make room for healthier options." On websites like Reddit, people touted their own theories about why the Polish dog was discontinued, with several folks stating that it was actually due to poor sales. Whatever the real reason, it's clear that the passion for the Polish dog hasn't died down just yet. Costco, we're waiting.

For some reason, it feels kinda weird that the Costco food court ever sold fries — but in some places, it did. In a handful of locations across the U.S., Costco sold fries for just $1.25 in its food court, which served as the perfect accompaniment to its hot dogs. While they were pretty tough to find, the people who were lucky enough to live near a store that sold fries were huge fans. Some people who had tried them dubbed them the best fries they had ever had. That's pretty high praise, guys.

Sadly, it seems like these fries were never meant to last. As soon as they appeared, they disappeared, with a few folks claiming that their rollout was halted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This kinda makes sense, considering that Costco likely had to shift its priorities quickly during that period to focus on keeping its customers safe, instead of serving them new types of food. If you're in Canada, though, you can try Costco fries, either on their own or smothered in gravy and cheese curds in a poutine. Does anyone want to take a road trip?

We think it's fair to say that Costco royally screwed up when it comes to its churros. Costco's original churro was a big fan favorite, and we get why. Coming in at just a dollar and having a fresh, tasty flavor, they were the talk of the town until Costco discontinued them without warning during the pandemic. The store clearly listened to the customers who said they wanted them back, though, and duly rolled its churros out for another run in 2021 — but with a few differences. Not only were these churros more expensive, but customers also alleged that they were shipped in frozen instead of prepared fresh, and their flavor took a real hit.

People weren't all that impressed by the new version of the churros, so while they were available for a couple of years, they were eventually discontinued in 2024. When they were, folks weren't exactly devastated – but it's clear that the original churros still hold a place in a lot of people's hearts. This is a classic example of a store trying to innovate and messing things up in the process, and what we really want is to see the original recipe churros back. If possible, we'd also love that original price.

The best thing about Costco's food court is its ability to offer a substantial, hearty meal that costs your spare change. Its Italian sausage sandwich was yet another menu item that provided this. Priced at just $2.79, the discontinued Italian sausage sandwich was only available at select locations in the 2010s, and it became the stuff of legend online. People would react with surprise when they found out that an Italian sausage sandwich even existed, and unless you were in Maryland, Brooklyn, Georgia, or a few of the other places that offered it, it remained just a dream.

Unfortunately, it became a dream for everyone once the COVID-19 pandemic rolled around. Although it seems that Costco was in the process of slowly phasing out its Italian sausage sandwich nationwide, the pandemic was the final nail in the coffin for it. When food courts reopened as the stores began ramping back up for in-person business, those locations that had the sandwich found that it had disappeared. Nowadays, it feels like it never really existed at all.

We can't believe we live in a world where we didn't get to try Costco's chocolate dipped ice cream bars. This dessert is one of the best-looking things we've ever seen: a thick ice cream bar covered in melted chocolate and then studded with huge pieces of roasted almonds. To make matters even better (or worse, considering that we never sampled it), it was just $1.50. Come on, you're killing us here.

It's unclear exactly when Costco's chocolate dipped ice cream bars were first available, but what we do know is that they disappeared during the 2010s. Since then, they've become one of those food court items that people talk about in hushed tones, with people associating them with childhood trips to the store. "My mom and I would go to Costco just for these," said one person on Reddit. "Amazing ice cream dipped in a thick layer of chocolate then topped with peanuts. Literally the best item the cafe ever had and I'm a big fan of the pizza." There's even a Facebook page devoted to the bars which has over 1,200 members. Take the hint, Costco: We want these back.

One little-known Costco food court item that's been lost to the sands of time is its chili. Costco's chili wasn't widely available, and appears to have first made its debut around 2016. Costing $3.99 for a pot, it was a hearty concoction of beef, kidney and pinto beans, onions, and peppers, all held together in a rich, savory sauce. The chili was available both in the Northwest and in locations across California, and it was a rare seasonal item which was brought back to the food court in the fall.

This chili was a big hit with the few folks that managed to try it, but what was less of a win was the cost. Four dollars isn't a lot in most places, but in Costco's famously cheap food court it seems that it stuck out like a sore thumb. Allegedly, this is why the chili was axed from the menu, with one Reddit user confidently stating that "someone higher up in Costco management didn't want to raise the price which was needed to keep the product for the next season, so they just cut it. I think it was $4, and they didn't want to raise it to $5." We don't know how true that is, but it makes sense.

There aren't a lot of Costco food court items that people remember as fondly as the BBQ beef brisket sandwich. Ask anyone who tried this item about it and they'll get misty-eyed, remembering the BBQ beef brisket sandwich's delicious flavor and the massive heap of meat you got in every portion. The brisket sandwich first debuted in 2014, and pretty soon it was making waves, with people particularly praising its spicy coleslaw. Costing $4.99, its price stood out slightly compared to other food court items, but given the size of the sandwich it seemed like a fair cost for such a hefty meal.

However, all good things must come to an end, and the BBQ beef brisket went that way too. In 2018 Costco announced that it was mixing up its food court menu in a bid to include new, healthier items and vegan and vegetarian options. While the beef brisket sandwich wasn't explicitly mentioned, it was implied that this would mean there was no longer space for it in store. Soon enough, it started disappearing. People started to catch on online, and disappointment started to spread. Even years after its debut, people remember this sandwich fondly.

Chocolate froyo? At Costco? Yep, guys, it was a thing — and a good one at that. Costco used to offer frozen yogurt in several different flavors, including chocolate (you could also get a mixture of flavors, which we love the sound of). In 2018, though, it decided to remove its chocolate froyo from its stores, as part of a bid to introduce more wholesome options and not crowd its menu. The chocolate frozen yogurt was replaced by an açai bowl. We admire Costco changing things up, but come on: Surely they must have known that people would miss the froyo, and they sure did.

However, in 2024, Costco did bring back some chocolatey goodness to its stores. The retailer introduced chocolate soft serve ice cream, and in doing so also gave customers the ability to mix up their flavors as they did before. Folks were certainly pleased that the chocolate was back, but there's no getting around that it's not exactly the same product. It looks like the chocolate froyo is gone for good.

If you're one of a select group of people, you'll remember the Very Berry Sundae from Costco. This towering cup of frozen yogurt came topped with strawberry pieces and drizzled with a strawberry sauce. Costco certainly didn't compromise on the size of this dessert, and what was even more impressive was that every sundae cost just $1.65. You can barely get anything for that price these days, let alone a huge dessert.

Costco's Very Berry Sundae was available during the 2010s, but while it was a huge hit with shoppers, it was axed towards the end of the decade to make space for new offerings. As you can imagine, this wasn't received well by fans. "This is the worst news all week," said one person who learned of the news on Reddit. "I am distraught, heart broken and unhinged. This was the one shining light in my life to get this Strawberry Sundae at Costco and they have to pull it out." Another individual described the sundae as a massive element of their trip to Costco. People are passionate about these desserts, folks, and we don't blame them.