Food Court questions
WE HEARD FROM MANY passionate members concerned about the change
in Food Court hot dogs. Below, Alan Bubitz, vice president of Costco Food
Service, responds to a hot dog complaint and other frequent requests.
I have often enjoyed eating at the Food
Court, but I don’t frequent it nearly as
much since they changed the brand of hot
dogs and Polish sausage from Sinai Kosher
to [Kirkland Signature™]. Sorry, they just
don’t come up to the great taste of a
kosher hot dog or Polish like Sinai Kosher.
Big mistake. What were they thinking?
Ray Seidlitz
Naperville, IL
Thank you for your feedback. You may not
be aware that the Sinai Kosher hot dog
is no longer available, as Sara Lee closed that
plant in Chicago and discontinued selling
a kosher hot dog. As a result, we were
put in the position of needing to create our
own product.
We understand people have flavor
preferences and make choices accordingly.
Our goal was to improve on all of the ingredients used in the Sinai Kosher hot dogs.
We use USDA Choice or better graded
beef (very few, if any, hot dog makers in the
country do this), removed the corn syrup
and flavor enhancers and lowered the salt.
We also increased the size of our Kirkland
Signature hot dog.
Hopefully you will find a new favorite
item at the Costco Food Court.
Q: Can you bring back the pretzel to
the Food Court?
A: Sales of pretzels had declined over the
years. Churros have dramatically outsold
the pretzels.
Q: What happened to the marionberry
topping on the yogurt?
A: The marionberry topping had a quality
issue. Stems and thorns were showing up
in the topping and could not be consistently
removed. The strawberry topping is safer,
and strawberries are one of our bestselling
produce items.
Q: Any possibility of adding a 100 percent whole-wheat thin-crust pizza with
vegetables only for those who are attempt-
ing to eat more healthy foods?
A: Our business model is to have a limited
number of items so we can manage the
business efficiently. We are limited to three
pizza items, and our selection represents the
three most popular types among our mem-
bers. Unfortunately, a veggie pizza isn’t one
of the top four, nor is a pizza with a whole-
wheat crust.
Q: Why not serve the Korean bulgogi
bake—made with marinated grilled
beef—in the U.S. Food Courts?
A: We’re planning to test the bulgogi bake in
several locations. If it is popular with mem-
bers, you may see it on the menu someday.
