IAmA Costco Food Court Employee, AMA

How do you make a chicken bake? It's so fuckin good

We use a fifth of a thing of pizza dough, flatten it out with the pizza dough press. Then we mix together chicken breast strips we've cut up, mozzarella, bacon, and caesar dressing. Put that in the middle and roll it up! I agree, they're sooo good

I don't care if this is an advertisement, I want to eat that.

Lol. They're amazing. The only thing I don't like is that some of the people who make them out a ton of dough on the ends. I like my bake with everything throughout. I don't like eat in 5 bites of dough

What's the number one seller at your window?

Definitely the hot dogs. There's something about a buck fifty that people really love.

What can I get for three fiddy?

U can get 2 hot dog

Not only are they cheap they are top tier, they taste so good but you may already know that.

Tbh you can taste them all day. You burp and it tastes exactly like it did when you were swallowing it. I can't tell if I hate it or love it and that scares me

So glad I'm not the only one this happens too. I find it gross so actually dislike their hot dogs. Love Costco on the whole still though!

Haha I think it's a taboo topic, but I got it out of a couple of my coworkers that they get it too :')

Knowing what you know being a food service worker, would you still eat there ? If so, what would/wouldn't you consume?

Tbh I eat there almost every day because I'm a lazy fuck and it's cheap. But honestly the food quality is good. Some people have hangups about the fact that we don't wash our pizza discs every time we use them, but it's more of a Dutch oven effect in my eyes. The only thing that concerns me is how much oil gets used in the process of making a pizza skin (the stretched out and sauced pizza dough). Too much. And when you don't use the corporate requested amount because you think it's too much and corporate notices? You use more oil to avoid being in trouble. Some manager's over compensate and use a quarter cup of oil+ when making them.

I work morning merch at Costco, and we have someone that was in the food court that has said the same thing. He said it's just too much.

Glad you can attest!

Do the take-and-bake Deli Pizzas also use that much oil?

Nope. They come pre-stretched, sauced, and cheesed. (I think they're dry and undersauced)

Are they ever gonna bring back the chocolate-dipped ice cream bar with almonds?

Freakin, I get that question asked every day. I think it might have been too expensive for the amount we give. That's what happened with gelato anyway.

The gelato was amazing for its price. Whenever I went to San Diego (2 hours from where I live in Los Angeles), I would always stop by for the gelato.

Aah same. I got it every other daaaaay

too expensive

Too high of a cost for the low selling price, you mean? Probably. I kind of figured the main reason was because of the labor-intensity -- unwrap the bar, dip it, wait to cool, roll it in almonds, wrap it. Not like the pizza which was "shove into an oven and then sell six slices".

Don't care, double the price, hire dedicated staff and assist with dipping robots. I want my damn dipped ice cream bars with almonds!!! :-( sadpanda.prt

(Never saw any gelato there. I guess I was deprived.)

Yeah exactly. The devotion people have for those almond ice cream bars astounds me. Growing up my parents and grandparents didn't take me to the food court, so I have never had one haha.

(the gelato was only tested at about one or two warehouses per state)

Can we upvote this please? This is the comment I have been looking for.

<\3 so sorry

If they actually packaged these bad boys and sold them by the box, they could put haagen dasz out of business.

That would be amazing. But they have a 30 pack of creamies and that's good enough for now :')

Why exactly is your simple cheese pizza so darned good? Is it just the sheer amount of cheese you put on? Even the sauce tastes better.

It's made with love.

How does Costco do IT? Do they outsource or do they have an internal IT staff?

They outsource for most of that. Everyone is trained to some extent on how our POS and (rather complex) search system operate. It's been the same for years and really we only need an IT guy (or guys) to come and fix a malfunctioning register. As most Costcos are getting chip readers, they have to get new registers that are compatible. That's about the biggest IT type of thing I've known about since working here

Thanks! I wonder what the IT infrastructure looks like at a place like this.

From what I've seen, it's very organized and a bit simple. They have a couple cords for each register, but only one is needed to get into the network. The others are for attaching the keyboard and those little physical display screens.

I went to Costco today and was extremely disappointed to find out that the fruit smoothie is replaced by the berry smoothie. Wtf is up with that? The berry smoothie was absolutely amazing. The fruit smoothie is not even close. Is there some story to why they did this that you've heard of or a possibility of it coming back?

I actually get that comment a lot. There are notes with concerns about the new one in my manager's office all the time. So, the new smoothie was tested in various locations (like a lot of stuff that we bring in) and it did very well in those areas. Corporate thought the benefits outweighed the negatives in this situation. The new smoothie has a lot of better benefits in it- less sugar, less calories, nothing but real fruit and fruit juice, and 4 servings of fruit in each smoothie. >> casually spouts out what I'm trained to >> but, I really loved the other smoothie. So I feel you there. I know a lot of managers have been getting concerns about the new one, but I, as an employee, have to be okay with it, as well as the managers. I do believe that if people keep putting their opinions out there, it might change. I am not aware of any changes in the works, but I am almost at the bottom of the food chain

The deli area of the store sells take & bake pizza, however they only have cheese, pepperoni, and ultimate meat.

How come there are no take & bake of the combo pizza from the deli area?

So each department relies on a set of core ingredients and if they branch out too much they lose more money buying from more vendors. Simply put, they don't have the ingredients to make them. They don't use that stuff for anything else. I know that stores I've worked in, the deli serves Hawaiian pizza but the food court doesn't.

How often do people come in just for the food?

At my old warehouse, ALL the time. I've since transferred to a different store where you can't even get into the store without a membership card. I think that puts out sales down a little bit, personally

I thought that was the norm with Costco. At least all the ones I've been too

It depends really. I transferred from a really nice area with really religious people and a very open warehouse manager, to something in the middle of a major city where the west side is scary. So uh. Yeah.

As an employee at Domino's, Costco pizza is amazing for the price. What's your secret? wink wink

So actually, we make money on everything we sell. If I remember right we only make three cents on the hot dogs and polish, but everything else has at least a 50% profit. :) since we buy everything in major bulk I think we cut a deal with the companies we buy from, plus the idea of their stuff being at Costco is definitely appealing.

Are the Tyson Chicken Bakes you sell in the store the same as what you sell? (frozen section)

They're a little different (they have onion and we don't, that's all I know for sure). But it's the same basic principle. I haven't even tried the Tyson ones, because I have the food court chicken bakes more easily accessible

As a Canadian Costco customer, I am firstly appalled, by the removal of the Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich, and, more recently, the 'streamlining' of the hotdog condiments down to mustard/ketchup, and relish, eliminating the sauerkraut, onions, and hot peppers.

I like the fact that the relish is a pump now, but the rest saddens me.

Have they made changes to the lineup where you are, and what has the reaction been like?

:0 that hurts my heart. I wasn't even aware of that. My warehouse still does onions, sauerkraut, red peppers, and even Parmesan cheese. Though I've always had relish from a pump.

It's strange that the company has so many differences in such a simple thing as a glorified hot dog and pizza stand.

When can I get the churros hot? Recently got a warn one and was sad

They're supposed to be hot like all the time. As in 140 degrees minimum. But. Nonetheless, you can always ask for a new churro, and they'll always be better. I learn to check when we're running low on churros and wait for a new pan to come out hehe. Sometimes the two sets of churros will come out at the same time. I recommend checking on them right before you shop and seeing the changes when you come back. My favorite is when they run out of churros and you wait for 5 min or so, then when they pull them off the pan, it is a hundred percent brand new. However, unless it's slow, ie: 10-11:30 or 1:30-4:30, they'll be pretty good.

You are my new idol

Yesssss. That was totally the point of this AMA. >>

Whats the union situation at Costco? How are the workers treated?

It's amazing. I get paid 13+ bucks for serving freaking good. And part time workers get benefits. And a minimum of 24 hours, so you know they aren't gonna schedule you once a week. You have to work 5 days a week. You get raises after a certain amount of hours you work, so even if your manager doesn't like you, you can still make money haha.

Do employees get a discount at the food court?

:( no. We do get a free executive membership though which is over a hundred dollar value. So that's good!

can I ask for double pepperoni on my pizza?

It really depends on how busy the store is and how easygoing the manager/supervisor combo is. My current one bends over backward for members but the meat is super expensive. They would probably put a little extra in but double would put our profit margin from 50% to probably 20 or so.

Can someone order a chicken bake without bacon or do they come frozen?

Theoretically they could, but we do make them ourselves, and it's usually during the morning when we don't have members and can focus before opening on just prepping food. Sometimes the employees are running little bit late and they'll make them during the day, but you'd have to catch them before they mix the cheese and bacon. Which is hard to do :/ you could always call ahead a day and ask. I'm sure they'd oblige

How can they serve that disgusting chicken on the ceaser salad?

We actually got new chicken! It's fuckin amazing!

How is it prepared? The old stuff seemed boiled or steamed.

The new stuff is grilled, then frozen. We just thaw it :)

Is your warehouse one of the locations that have the new burger in the food court?

Not yet, but we're getting it soon. I know that. I'm kinda excited but a little sad. It means we're getting rid of the chili :(

Wait what, what region gets Chili!?

Well there goes trying to be anonymous

That's why I said region. I know different Costco's / region have different items. Puerto Rico had an amazing sausage dog w/ sauteed onions and bell peppers that I'd gladly get over a regular polish any day of the week.

I'm sorry I was trying to be a lil funny :P don't worry about it. That sounds amazing though. The best I got to that was sticking a Polish in the oven for 2 minutes on a disc with a little bit of onions >>

Did you ever build a fort between the shelves?

I wish >> I've seen some people do it at other stores though.

Ahaha as a kid I always dreamed of doing it in costco because there was soo much space between the shelves...

Got scared shitless once while grabbing ice cream from the huge freezer. I saw a hand grabbing on it trying to pull back while i was pulling the other way, some employee in the back was messing hard on me hahahaha

Oh my gosh that is fantastic.

Secretly wishing of becoming an employee there only to do this

Better do it past your 90 days. They could fire you for that heh.

Hahahaha i don't even live in a costco blessed country anymore sadly...

That hurts my heart :(

Favorite ice cream flavor of all time?

Caramel cheesecake. Ugh I'm such a white girl.

Why is it so hard to get started with a job at costco unless you want to do food court first?

(front end hires a lot too). So. Costco does a lot of hiring within, and there are certain jobs that people in the company just jump on. Food court and front end have a higher turn over rate because the court is a bit overwhelming for new people, and the front end, because it's so large. Hope that cleared it up.

Why do Canadian costcos sell fries in the food court while in the USA do not?

I like the Costco poutine

:( I've only even had it once. Why is it not a thing in America yet

They try to stay local. I know some of the stores in the north east sell poutine. Like I think that theirs. Adding hamburgers because MURICA

Don't know why you were downvoted here. The costcos serve different things in different regions/countries. I want to say when I was there I saw that the Costco's in Asia sell Bulgogi and such.

Haters gonna hate!

When I order a cheese pizza, is there a chance of cross contamination with meat ingredients? Asking for religious reasons. If there are, can they be avoided by saying something to the person taking the order? Thanks

Oh! This happens at least once a day here. We sanitize the table we prep on and put gloves on. We get a new cutting board and cutting guide and cutter, put a box under it, and viola. (we can always do a vegetarian pizza too)

WHERE DID THE CHOCOLATE DIPPED ICE CREAM BAR WITH ALMONDS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? sorry this is an emotional topic for me

:( I'm sorry. I only have guesses right now. But it might have been too expensive for the amount we gave (labor wise, through the process of actually putting it together).

Is it easy to get a job there (qualifications-wise)?

Yeah. If you know someone who works there it's easy. I got in because I knew someone who had worked there 7 years (even though I'd only known them a year). Mostly, you just need to have graduated high school

Was wondering the other day when I got a cheap meal there, what is the profit margin at the food court? Are there especially high profit foods or "loss leaders"?

For awhile we lost money on gelato that was testing at certain warehouses (apparently 8 oz $1.50 gelato isn't enough for people) and they were at a defecit of like 30 cents each cone. I know we generally make 50% profit on pizza and churros. Turkey sandwiches I don't know, and chicken bakes I don't know. The hot dogs only make like 3 cents.

Have you ever taken the churros home?

We're not allowed to take anything home :(

Do you plan on making a long term career at Costco?

Not me, personally. I started this as a job to get through college, and that's where I'm trying to keep it. If I can get a cozy position as a pharmacy tech, I might consider it. I have other interests besides retail :)

Grilled hamburgers are new to the menu in Seattle. Is this a test market or are the hamburgers going nationwide?

It was already in the testing stage. Nation wide now, or at least in participating warehouses

what is the price for the new burger? we don't have it yet where I am

I think it was in the 4 dollar range? We don't have it yet so I don't remember what my manager said. Sorry!

Why did Costco (UK) replace the cheese & tomato pizza with four cheese? And who can I speak to about bringing it back?

Because of Brexit. Next they're going to get rid of combo and replace it with the fish-flakes-and-squid pizza that they currently sell in Asia. IT'S YOUR FAULT YOU VOTED FOR THIS!!!!!

Oh my God.

First off thank you for your service. Costco food court saved me from what would have been shitty lunchless shifts many times. I've always wondered why is it the pizza is either great or fowl? It's never just okay. I figured it always made the same way, also I always have it made I don't buy old ones, but it almost always tastes different when I get one.

No problem :) glad to serve. So, it depends on how the managers have their employees work with the ingredients and where they get them from. At mine our produce is totally vaccuum packed which somehow keeps the freshness. Like the lettuce pops up like it was never in a bag. And same with the mushrooms and onion/bell pepper mix. Some people don't press the dough the right way, or let it proof enough. It comes down to a lot of things. The pizza at my store is amazing (member and coworker confirmed!!) but the one a few miles away apparently tastes like rubber (coworker confirmed.)

Do you guys hate when people call in orders for pizza? I figured that'd be easier on you guys (I try to make things easy for people) but I hear a lot of frustration when I call.

I personally love it when people call. They know when they're getting their pizza, they don't have to wait 10+ minutes for it, everyone's happy. But most of the time people call during our rush. We have to put like double pizzas in our table, deal with 20 other orders in 20 minutes, and then someone calls in ANOTHER one during the rush. Most of the time I think they're just upset is because they have to tell another member there's a longer wait than normal, and it just adds to RT stress. I looooove when people call an hour or more before their order because we can form a plan. :)

When putting together the hot dogs, why is the wrapping always under the dog, between the bun and dog? Seems like a simple thing that could be avoided.

Bonus question, the buns are usual pretty wet from the dog water, does the training address how to properly dry off the dogs first?

Note, even with the above issues I eat at Costco at least once a week.

Thanks!

I'm not understanding your first question :/ what I'm seeing is that you wrap the hot dog and put the bun underneath.

Your second, yes we are trained to shake off the excess water (at least I was). Different managers train differently. I actually had to end up reading the preparation handbook because a lot of things I was told to do didn't make sense (except the hot dog bit). My guess is some people aren't trained correctly. (just between you and me, I hate that the buns get steamed)

Yo u gotta know what kind of sausage is used is it just the Kirkland brand or what?

Kirkland baby. Only the best.

Have you ever heard of /r/casualiama?

What the.

I feel like someone is downvoting the heck out of you and I won't stand for it!! >:((

You're a good person :)