Costco is Taking the Polish Hot Dog Off the Food Court Menu and Introducing Healthier Options
Oh NO – say it ain’t so! 😩
Rumor has it that select Costco locations across the country are taking away the Polish hot dog from the food court menu to incorporate healthier items, such as açaí fruit bowls (seen below), organic burgers, and plant-based protein salads. Many locations have already phased out the Polish hot dog from the food court, leaving customers to buy them only in bulk to enjoy at home.
However, the all-beef hot dog isn’t going anywhere and will still be offered with a soda for only $1.50.
Hangry fans are taking social media by storm and are pretty upset about this change. One fan even started an online petition to save the Polish hot dog and has already received over 1,700 signatures.
😒 drama, drama, drama
My Costco (PA) hasn’t had the Polish hot dog for as long as I’ve been a member. When I was there last month, I got the acai bowl ($4.99) and my husband got the new cheeseburger ($4.99) and they were both very good.
Sidenote: I guess my Costco DOES/did have them. My husband said it is listed with the regular hot dog combo, but since I don’t eat hot dogs I’ve never read the sign lol
People don’t go to a Costco food court for healthy stuff. I wish these companies would stop trying to be politically correct about everything. Why can’t they have both & let people select what they want to eat.
I’m not sure it is about “political correctness;” Costco, I assume, wouldn’t roll something out if there wasn’t a demand for it. Acai is trendy right now, as are organic ingredients.
Ehh…açaí was so 2-3 years ago! Before enough people realized sugar is sugar is sugar
Perhaps, but I stand by my point that the assumption that this is them trying to be “politically correct” is unfounded.
We go for convenience, but always prefer healthy options. So happy for these changes! And as long as there’s pizza, beef hot dogs, and chicken bakes, there’s lots of grease whenever folks crave it. 😉
totally agree
I love the idea of the healthier options! I wish more places would do the same. When you eat healthy it can be hard to eat out or grab something conveniently so this is nice.
I agree. As a vegetarian, my only options there are pizza and ice cream, so I’m not opposed to other items to choose from.
Putting some fruit and granola on top of acai-flavored soft serve doesn’t make it an acai bowl! I’d be interested if it actually resembled one.
It actually does! It’s an açaí mix, not flavored soft serve. The texture is very different. And they’re pretty generous with the fresh strawberries and blueberries. Açaí bowls are very popular here in Hawaii and Costco’s version is quite good for the price!
Although, I appreciated the fresh fruit on my acai bowl. In my neck of the woods, we have brats on the menu.
I opt for this treat when I visit Costco, but I agree with you, it’s certainly not an açaí bowl. The texture is icy and very much just a flavored soft serve. There isn’t even granola. It’s a banana chip mixture.
No bueno. I was 💔 when i tried to order one and there was no mas. They tastes good with just a little bit of ketchup and mustard. 😿
I hope that the Costco near me is replacing the Polish dog with something a little more healthy. The acai bowl looks delicious but I wonder how healthy it actually is.
They are replacing the Polish dogs with a grass fed organic 2 patty cheeseburger.
Inside source- The AI Pastor salad replaced chili. The Very Berry sundae & chocolate yogurt were replaced by açai bowl/açai swirl yogurt. They ARE however bringing back the Very Berry sundae. (Due to popular demand) Polish dog is being replaced by a 2 patty grass fed organic beef cheeseburger.
It sound more like
Costco remove low price item with item that is more profitable and smaller portion.
all I want is my latte freeze back! it was under $2!!!
Some locations have a cold brew coffee mocha freeze.
Who needs the food court? I enjoy the samples! Seriously, I would prefer that Costco keep the Polish dogs. If they want to add a healthy option as well, that is fine. But don’t take away something that is very popular.
I’ve had the acai bowl a couple of times. It is divine, but I don’t like the acai froyo. Too tangy. I think you can substitute vanilla. ??
You can! Same price tho. Only thing you can’t do is have a full cup of açaí froyo. It’s expensive stuff.
Was so disappointed when they took away my yogurt swirl and replaced it with the açaí. Why, oh why:(
Most stores keep a bottle of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup by the yogurt machine. And they will drizzle some on to the vanilla yogurt for free if you ask. 🙂
Thanks. Never saw it there, but I will ask.
Is that you Bozeman Hippy?
RIP the very berry sundae
Agree! I wonder why they got rid of those. I always saw people eating them. Soooo good!
Agree! The very berry sundae was the best and you couldn’t beat the price! I was so sad to see it gone
Because of popular demand, they are bringing back the very Berry sundae! Rejoice!
The Baton Rouge Costco got rid of the polish dog around two years ago.
Haven’t seen a polish dog in Hawaii Costco’s in years too
I’ve gotten the salad a few times. I love it!!
I’ve wanted healthier options for years. But the new healthier options are not enough for me. I want to have more options. How about soups? I do not think it is too hard to have them on the menu taking into consideration that they come frozen in big bags and all they have to do is heat them up.
They only have so much space in the kitchen, so there is a limit to how many items they can have on their menu. Soup may be easy to prepare, but I have to question whether soup would sell well enough. Hot dogs and pizza appeal to a wider audience.
I enjoyed both types of hotdogs. they phased out the polish ones for a chili (haven’t tried it yet) and only do vanilla icecream now (no more swirl with berry topping. The acai cups look delish with the fresh fruit but after sampling it, I didn’t care for the sorbet much (tasted strange).
I’m disappointed. I love the polish dogs. I get they want to make healthier options but man why takes these? And what’s up with everything costing way more? I already pay a lot for membership, it was nice to have some cheaper items on the menu.
I’ll just stick with Sam’s club
Better, healthier ingredients often cost more. Beef dogs and drinks are still $1.50 for the combo. Pizza slices are $1.99. Still affordable, but now with more variety for those wanting it.
I honestly didn’t know that many people eat at the Costco food court to be that angry? Do people eat at target food courts too? I find it so weird going to a place to grab food to make, but buying cooked food there.
Many working people in my area go there for a cheap lunch. We also have a nearby college, so it helps young people who don’t have big wallets too.
Agreed, but it’s the Internet…the comments section is always full of angry people lol
It’s 50/50 banana chip and granola.
I miss the chocolate ice cream bars with almonds
YES!! Those hand dipped ice cream bars were my FAVORITE!!!! I used to buy like 4 and stash them in my freezer. They were the best!!!!!!
We did too!! Those things were decadent!! I miss them sooooo much!!
Seriously me too! Who cares about polish dogs! Let’s start a petition to bring back the almond ice cream bars!!!!
YES! YES! those were the best. mine always seemed to have about a half pound of smashed almonds all over it, so that’s probably why they had to get rid of it — was probably way expensive for their bottom line.
please someone help me. since we got a new app i don’t know how to share the deals. can someone tell me how to share. thank you
To the left short line/long line hip2share. Hope this helps
Hi there! You can always send an email in to collin@hip2save.com OR head over here to view how to share a deal via our hip2share section! https://hip2save.com/how-to-share/ Hope that helps!
ours here in az said the are keeping polish dog but getting rid of whole pizzas. wha!!!!
I ate their hot dog one time and never again anyway. It made me burp the smell of salami all day- ewww! LOL
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I hope they bring in some more vegetarian options! Loved the new salad and the acai bowl was ok thought was a bit pricey for me. Hoping they will add veg pizza slices😋
My Costco does have veg slices! I mean, they are just a few slivers of peppers and mushrooms, but it’s something!
If you’re ordering a whole pizza you can order veggie, just not individual slices.
I did live the very berry smoothie and was so sad they replaced it with the fruit smoothie at double the price. If they bring back the berry smoothie, hope they kept the original price too.
Yes! They changed it while we were overseas and the new ones were yuck.
I loved the berry smoothie also!
Like the cheapo 1.50 hotdog/drink combo for a quick fix while shopping. The new $5 health options sure don’t appeal. Used to get the chicken salad until discovering it’s made with chicken remnants and grissle that have been glued together and scored to look like solid pieces. Yucky poo. Best deal is to get a whole $5 cooked chicken and eat it right there if you’re starving.
We loved the food court at Costco. So sad when we saw that first the very berry smoothie was changed. Now it has supposedly more healthful ingredients. I dunno. I just know the price went up. Then, the price changed on the mocha freeze. Then, the polish dog disappeared. Now, the very berry sundae (but, yay- I see it might be coming back? Woo-hoo!) Then, the new Al Pastor salad was added, followed by the acai. And, they ditched the chocolate yogurt. We hate the new menu. 🙁 The food court was always a fun way to end our shopping trip at Costco. 🙁 🙁 🙁 I really, really hope they bring the old stand-bys back. I recall reading in the Costco Connection magazine about a year or so ago about how the food court menu at Costco hadn’t changed in all these years and how that was their formula for success. I guess they didn’t take their own advice from the magazine….
Beth- I know! Right? I think they changed the menu to increase prices (and claim its justified)… I liked to occasionally get the very berry froyo sundae.. Which was $1.75… Now the “healthier option” (which I suspect really isn’t healthier)- the acai berry sundae – is $2.99! More than a 70% price increase!!!! I asked if I could still order off-menu (like some places let you do) since they had all the ingredients and I was told no. I messaged Costco about it- they didn’t seem to care…. I would try the new sundae but in protest of the ridiculous sudden increase and removal of the regular very berry sundae, I’ve passed on it
I’m still upset that they changed the smoothies while we were overseas and have recently gotten rid of chocolate option for the ice cream. Why give up the old favorites?! 😩
I’m sorry but if you want healthy, don’t eat at Costco!!! If you eat healthy all the time at home, and plan ahead with lunches, etc., what is one polish hot dog going to ruin if you have one every now and then!? People want lazy, cheap AND healthy AND for someone else to do it for them, because all they want to do is eat fast food and eat out which will NEVER be as healthy as home cooked/prepared.
I mean, I like junk food as much as anyone else, but as someone that doesn’t eat meat I also like an option other than just pizza. Sometimes I want pizza, sometimes I’d like something else. *shrug* I mean, I don’t quite get the anger that people are expressing. If I didn’t want pizza, I just didn’t grab anything to eat. I’ve never complained or tweeted or emailed. That said, I’m thrilled to have an alternative option or two for when I don’t want to eat the pizza.
Way to go Costco! I stop by about every 2 weeks to stock up on proteins and veggies and always wish there was an option at the food court that I would actually eat. An organic burger would be fantastic!! And I bet their price point will be reasonable. I love to eat healthy so why shouldn’t I get grab-n-go options too?!?!
Healthy convenient options are always preferred for us too! I’m really happy about the new options!!
This is a snack bar, not a restaurant! Let people make up their own minds what to eat. I enjoyed having a special treat after shopping. Most of us are in a shock after looking at our receipt from shopping and need something fattening to help us feel better. I like the chocolate vanilla yogurt swirl .
Lol I agree!! The bill is mostly in triple digits and the funny part is it is my husband’s favorite store and not mine 😀
Actually, you can have a full cup of the açaí froyo. My daughter didn’t like the vanilla/açaí swirl (flavors didn’t go well together), so we asked for just the açaí. You’re right, it’s not cheap. Full cup is same price as swirl.
My granddaughters like the soft serve ice cream, vanilla, chocolate, or swirl. Last month they said that Costco didn’t have the same, they tasted it, didn’t like it and we threw it out. Why do they have to mess with a good thing?!?
@patricia- I think it’s so they can increase the prices without having to justify it really (the very berry sundae increased by OVER 70% in price!!!! After switching from the regular vanilla froyo to the “healthier”-yeah right- Acai version…. Ok so changing the froyo to acai makes it over 70% more expensive? I don’t think so)… The management at Costco used to proclaim that the food court was a highlight of their business and they were proud to have consistency in items and price over the years… Now it seems like they are abandoning ship and just cutting out low price items and replacing them with more expensive items.., I’m all for if they want to add new items, but getting rid of the old staples (especially when they still have the ingredients to make it- like the original berry sundae) is ridiculous…. I understand costs go up sometimes; tbh I wouldn’t be that upset if the sundae went up to $2 from $1.75 (which would be 14% higher) and I don’t think others would be upset either at that small increase. I contacted Costco and they didn’t seem to care at all… Literally zero fs about it
If ppl looked at what a hot dog actually contains of most wouldn’t eat it. I would like to see more healthy options. Veg pizza etc..
The Al Pastor salad looks blend and boring
@cari- it depends what brand of hotdog you get. There are definitely brands out there that are very transparent and use only premium meat or average meat…. Also I think you can ask for healthier options and still keep popular staples. I haven’t had a hotdog there, but I sometimes would get the very berry sundae and the fact that they still have the ingredients to make it and don’t (not even a secret menu deal) so that the only option is the acai version at a ridiculous price hike is a hot pile of garbage
I LOVE that Costco is adding a healthier, meat- and dairy-free option. There have been many weekends when DH and I were running errands all over town, were hungry, and would have eaten something at Costco if there was anything that we could eat — instead we went down the street and got a quick salad after leaving Costco. We *wanted* to eat something there but couldn’t, as everything either had dairy or meat.
I think that they’re responding to their market demographics shifting:
-Costco is now the #1 seller of organic produce in the United States — many of their customers would otherwise be shopping at Whole Foods!
-Costco has reported that plant-based (vegan) options are one of their fastest growing categories (which makes sense giving trends showing people who always or sometimes eat plant-based recently doubled)
-Costco has found a way to offer a healthier option at a slightly higher price point to feed customers who otherwise skip eating there because the greasy options like hot dogs and pizza aren’t desirable — but it’s left plenty of those greasy, cheap options available for those who still crave them! In other words, I get my $5 acai bowl, you get you’re $1.50 hot dog, and everybody leaves happy.
-Costco has an enviably upscale member base, and dining trends for that group favor healthier menu options (“The average member is college educated, owns a home and earns about $100,000 a year,” according to CNBC).
To me, this all speaks of Costco’s continuing good management — they’re expanding the range of people who will consider stopping for a snack. The old menu line-up was pretty dated relative to the trends of what their members are actually buying in the store.
Our Costco got rid of Polish dogs quite awhile ago and brought in brats, instead. Brats are really good. When people shop at Costco they’re looking for something quick to grab and then head home. I hope they don’t remove the dogs or brats. Why don’t they just add something healthy on menu?
That is great they are adding healthier options but I think they should keep the old favorites too. They should also keep the prices low since everyone pays for memberships and spends a lot of money there.
And remember the dipped ice cream bars with almonds on them, sooooo yummy! I guess they were too “labor intensive”. Whatever, they were delish and sadly missed by me.
My mother is 92 years. She looked forward to the polish dog every Tuesday. She is very upset that she can’t have a polish dog anymore.
Yes! No more of that polish dog. Have room for other food on the menu. I never understood why anyone would eat that polish dog anyway. Yuck