Thanks to its 750 locations and $1 billion annual food court sales, Costco is frequently
cited as one of the nation's biggest pizza chains.
Sure, the retail giant's ridiculously inexpensive $1.50 hot dog and soda deal gets all the attention,
but Costco is a real pizza contender.
In fact, according to Business Insider, the company ranked as the 14th largest pizza chain
in 2015, not too shabby for a warehouse store.
But what is it that makes Costco's pizza so irresistible?
Let's break it down.
If you've ever ordered a slice of Costco pizza, you know that it is massive.
Like, hang off the edges of your paper plate massive.
And that giant slice will only set you back a measly $1.99, whether you choose cheese,
pepperoni, or a combo.
A major factor in what makes Costco's pizza great is that they do not skimp on toppings,
and you know that each slice you get will be fully loaded, no matter what you order,
or who's making it.
One Costco supervisor bragged on Quora, saying,
"We never shortcut the ingredients, everything is measured to a standard, every Costco pizza
you get should have the same amount of sauce, cheese, and toppings."
So, how do they manage to ensure that each and every pie is so perfect?
In a word: Robots!
The dough is placed onto a machine that effortlessly presses the blob into a nice even circle,
guaranteeing that it's not overworked.
We'll call that Robot Number One.
After that, Costco food court workers only have to stretch the dough the littlest bit
to make it fit the pan before rolling it with a dough docker.
This spiky contraption helps ensure that the finished crust doesn't have those huge air
bubbles.
Now comes the best part, Robot Number Two, the all-important sauce robot.
The pizza pan takes a spin under a spigot that perfectly sauces every pie, dispensing
just the right amount each time.
It's a magical sight, and explains why every Costco pie has the same mouth-watering appearance
and consistency.
After that, it's back to the humans for the finishing touches, where the cheese gets weighed
precisely on a scale, and the prescribed amount of pepperoni gets placed just so.
Because these pizzas are cooked in only six minutes, thanks to super-efficient conveyor
belt ovens that cook from all sides, you can always expect a fresh slice waiting for you
at the food court window.
In fact, that same supervisor confirms that any pizza slice that doesn't sell within the
hour gets tossed out and replaced with a new one to maintain freshness.
If there's one widespread knock on Costco's pizza, it's that the slices lack crispness.
But really, how can you expect a pizza that's loaded with 24 ounces of cheese to stay super
crisp?
You heard that right: According to The Costco Connection, a cheese pizza from Costco contains
one-and-a-half pounds of "aged, buttery cheeses… and 10-month-aged shredded Parmesan."
A pepperoni pie, meanwhile, boasts 60 thin slices of spicy meat, and a combo weighs in
at almost four-and-a-half pounds thanks to all the sausage, pepperoni, green bell peppers,
red onion, mushrooms, and black olives.
A slight lack of crispness in exchange for that kind of toppings extravaganza seems like
a fair trade.
Wondering how all that cheese and meat stacks up when it comes to calorie count?
Depending on which slice you choose, you're looking at 710 to 760 calories, with total
fat hovering around 30 grams each, approximately half of your daily intake, and saturated fat
content weighing in around 65 to 70 percent of your recommended daily value.
But hey, you're also getting up to 40 grams of protein just for chowing down on an amazing
slice of pizza, so there's that!
The bottom line is that Costco pizza, in all it's greasy, cheesy glory, isn't meant to
be diet food, it's just meant to taste good.
And it does.