Home Consumer Costco Food Court Will Soon Be Off Limits For Non Members

Costco Food Court Will Soon Be Off Limits For Non Members

To shop at Costco, you need to be a member. Along with its “wholesale” ethos, the membership fee is probably the chain’s most defining characteristic. But in one department, some customers were skirting the membership requirement: the food court. Costco’s in-house eatery has its own cult following thanks to cheap grub like its signature $1.50 soda and hot dog combo—and apparently, dropping in for a bite was open to non-members, too. But pretty soon, without a membership card, you may be forced to grab your inexpensive hot dogs elsewhere.

Recently, Instagram’s Costco Deals—an unofficial account with over a half-million followers—posted an image of a sign displayed at an undisclosed Costco location. “Effective March 16, 2020, an active Costco membership card will be required to purchase items from our food court,” the sign read. KGTV News in San Diego found similar signs at a store near them and reported that “numerous” members had spotted the signs across the nation.

With plenty of visual evidence, this pending policy change was more than just rumors, and eventually, Costco reportedly copped to the plan. San Diego’s CBS News 8 stated a company spokesperson clarified that, technically, the rule has always been that the food court was for members only; however, the policy previously hadn’t been enforced, something that will change in March. Meanwhile, Costco Deals updated its post to write, “THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED! May still vary per store and roll out date may vary as well…”

Food&Wine, excerpt posted on SouthFloridaReporter.comFeb. 24, 2020