We have some good news for those who’ve yearned for the day they could enjoy a Coke again at the Costco food court, but bad news for those who prefer to wash down their hot dog with a Pepsi.
On Jan. 23, Costco confirmed during its annual shareholder meeting that its food court will be swapping out its Pepsi products for those from Coca-Cola.
During a question-and-answer portion of the meeting, a shareholder asked, “Is the food court truly switching back to Coke products?”
“Yes, that is accurate,” Costco CEO Ron Vachris responded. “This summer we will be converting our food court fountain business back over to Coca-Cola.”
The warehouse chain has served Pepsi as part of its beloved $1.50 hot dog combo in all of its locations since 2013, when it switched from Coca-Cola after 27 years.
“It’s a big shift,” Alan Bubitz, Costco’s VP of food services, told BevNET at the time. “They’re the only vendor we’ve ever had for the majority of the business locations.”
Bubitz added that the change was to “preserve the integrity of the price point” of its combo — and the motivation for the switch back seems to be the same.
People on social media reacted to the return of Coca-Cola to Costco with varying emotions.
Pepsi to Coke products is the best news I’ve heard all year,” posted one X user.
“Rare Costco L. Pepsi is superior,” wrote another.
Costco has held fast on the price of its hot dog combo, which has remained at $1.50 since the 1980s. In May, Costco CFO Gary Millerchip said during the chain’s Q3 2024 earnings call that the price wouldn’t be changing anytime soon.
This honors a much more colorful demand from Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal, who famously said in 2018 to then-CEO W. Craig Jelinek, “If you raise (the price of the) effing hot dog, I will kill you.”
Coca-Cola’s return is not the only recent change to Costco’s food court: In March, a Costco executive confirmed in an interview with Axios that some of its food courts will require its patrons to have a Costco membership.
Costco has also been cracking down on non-members sneaking into stores with shared membership cards, requiring a scan at the door for entry. And in September, it raised its membership prices for the first time in seven years.