Costco May Already Be Discontinuing Its Roast Beef Sandwich, According To Reddit

When Costco first released its roast beef sandwich in February as a new addition to the beloved food court menu, fans of the wholesaler on Reddit weren't particularly thrilled — and it was especially the $10 price point that caused the backlash. For many shoppers who value Costco for its low prices and inflation-proof hot dogs, the large (and comparatively overpriced) food court sandwich felt like a turn in the wrong direction. And now, according to a rumor on Reddit, it seems that the Costco roast beef sandwich may already be close to the end of its run, less than a year after first hitting the food court menu.

According to a self-identified Costco employee on Reddit poster on the Costco forum of Reddit, the reason behind the possible discontinuation of the sandwich is "more than likely due to poor sales." For many, this news came as no surprise, with other commenters chiming in that the release of the sandwich "felt like market research" and "an experiment to see if people would pay that much."

Reddit users have speculated that Costco's roast beef sandwich was an experiment by the wholesaler to see if pricier items had a place on the food court menu. And if that's the case, it seems to have failed. While some initial reviews of the sandwich were positive, the general sentiment seems to be that it wasn't worth the cost. In a review of the controversial sandwich, The Takeout noted that there was simply too much bread, which ended up overwhelming the other ingredients and turning them into "background noise."

Another commenter on Reddit emphasized the large price difference between the roast beef sandwich and other popular items by explaining that for the price of the sandwich, you could instead buy "four hot dogs, two slices of pizza, and four drinks" to feed a whole group of people. 

However, this menu addition is not the first Costco food court change to anger shoppers. In September, the wholesaler created another controversy by replacing some of its regular sitting tables with higher standing-only tables in some locations, much to the dismay of dedicated Costco fans.