Ah, Costco. While some of us might love the wholesale giant for its super deals on
bulk items such as toilet paper, for its yummy prepared foods such as mandarin orange chicken,
or for its extensive bakery options, many of us frequent the chain for its food court. Is there
any place better to relax, after a long day of shopping, with a $1.50 hot dog and soda combo,
or a doughy "chicken bake"? We think not. This guy knows what we're talkin' about.
"I never knew the beauty of Costco and one day I woke up and I had, like,
an epiphany. And I was just, like, 'Let's go to Costco.'"
That's why many Costco shoppers were devastated when, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,
the wholesaler shut down its food courts across the country for social-distancing reasons.
While shopping continued, the happy times of enjoying beef brisket sandwiches and fruit
smoothies came to an end. Happily, Costco food courts began to open back up in April 2021.
"The CFO says it's slowly bringing back entire food court menus, as well as tables and chairs."
And one popular item that shoppers couldn't wait to dive into was some piping-hot pizza,
which the store offers by the slice or by the pie.
Currently, Costco food courts offer either pepperoni or cheese pizzas,
and one item that hasn't come back to the food court menu has been sorely missed. That would be
the elusive combo pizza, a hefty pie loaded with sliced veggies, pepperoni, sausage, and plenty
of cheese. Even as the wholesale giant's food courts began opening up over the spring,
this option has not returned to menus. Combo pizza fans are downtrodden.
In one recent Reddit thread, a user posted a pic of a Costco food court
kitchen wall still showing instructions on how to make the sought-after pizza,
even though it's no longer available, and wrote, "Still hanging in the food court. RIP."
Other users sympathized with the pizza-loving poster, adding comments like, "I miss combo"
and "I'm hanging onto the hope that one day it will return."
Reddit isn't the only place where folks have gathered to reminisce over the combo.
A year ago, a Change.org user started a petition to bring the pizza back.
The petition, which sits at about 6,000 signatures, reads, in part,
"It is imperative that Costco Wholesale does the right thing and satisfies its membership
holders by restoring combination pizza to all of its food courts IMMEDIATELY."
Costco might be keeping mum about why the combo pizza disappeared
in the first place and whether it might be making a comeback,
but we can always count on the internet to deliver a few crowdsourced theories on the subject.
A few pizza lovers took to Quora to offer their best guesses as to why
the combo pizza had disappeared. One user guessed,
"I'm thinking the real reason is they want to keep the menu simple and stripped down.
If you notice there aren't as many employees behind the counter. Some items most likely can
be more hands-on and they want no contact ordered. Also, less cleaning involved."
Another user, listed as a logistics specialist, posted,
"Store traffic was down — Supremes and veggies don't cost [more] to make,
there's just less demand for them. [...] So to keep service time
(low wait) they reduced options so they can premake the pizzas,
and just toss them in as needed. Usually, week to week a day's volume is consistent."
These Quora users have good reason to think the way they do about the
factors that determined the fate of the combo pizza. When the coronavirus pandemic forced
restaurants to close dining rooms and to pivot to takeout, many chains including McDonald's,
Taco Bell, and Subway ended up having to simplify their menus so kitchens could
speed up service and slash waiting times in the process, according to a report from CNBC.
"Simplification" was also seen by restaurant consultants as
the easiest way to improve overall efficiency, according to FSR magazine,
which includes saving on labor, cutting down on deliveries, and lowering food waste. It
was also considered to be a good way to cut overheads without compromising standards.
For a company like Costco, which made its mark on the retail industry by embracing simplification,
it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to imagine store management doing away with a somewhat
complicated food court item to keep production costs down at a time when they really needed to.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Mashed videos about the latest hot topics are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.