The Costco Food Court Pizza Trick We Should Have Tried Sooner
Costco's ultra cheesy food court pizza is nearly perfect, but even perfect foods can be improved upon. Now that Costco locations throughout the nation once again carry onions (which are usually combined with the chain's beloved hot dogs) members of the warehouse retail establishment are giddy with anticipation. And, there's nothing stopping a hungry shopper from adding onions to their pizza slice. This recalls Costco's former combo pizza, which included onions and other toppings. Chopped onions and combo pizza met an untimely end at Costco, but shoppers are eager to upgrade their slices now that onions appear to be back on the menu.
However, some Costco members expressed difficulty in finding chopped onions in their stores. To solve this problem, a Redditor encouraged customers to speak with a friendly food court worker for assistance. "Most warehouses moved to keeping them behind the counter, instead of the dispenser," explained the commenter. Another commenter went even further with the pizza hack, advising customers to "have them put onions [on the pizza], then back in the oven one more time."
How to hack your way to a tastier Costco pizza
American Costco locations carry few hot dog toppings, as shoppers are usually relegated to common accompaniments like mustard, ketchup, and relish. While adding mustard or ketchup to a slice can easily be categorized as unforgivable pizza crimes, relish is not as objectionable when it comes to pizza toppings. Remember, pickle pizza is definitely a thing, and lots of people love the odd pairing for the briny, sour flavors the pickles impart.
You may also find inspiration in other Costco menu items, such as the turkey Swiss sandwich. The sandwich comes with a sun-dried tomato spread, and you may be able to coax a kindly Costco food court staffer into adding a few dabs onto your pizza slice if you ask nicely. The chicken Caesar salad includes parmesan cheese and, once again, it may be possible to have some sprinkled onto your pizza. For a truly unhinged pizza hack, consider the Costco pizza and rotisserie chicken combo that sent TikTok into a tizzy.
Can the onion hack make up for the long-lost combo pizza?
The Costco food court is no stranger to disappearing menu items — shoppers still aren't over Costco's discontinued Italian sausage sandwich. A pandemic casualty, the chain once offered a combo pizza featuring mushrooms, pepperoni, green peppers, sausage, and, you guessed it, onions. As for why the pizza went the way of the dinosaur, a self-proclaimed former food court manager on Reddit offered a bit of insight.
According to the commenter, Costco's food court was hit the hardest during the pandemic, and the chain quickly began searching for ways to stop the financial hemorrhaging. Additionally, "The time it took to make a combo pizza vs. a cheese or pepperoni," was another factor in the pizza's demise. The former manager also noted a decrease in vegetable quality during the pandemic, which explains why diced onions disappeared from the menu at the same time as the combo pizza. Now that onions appear to be back, shoppers can partially replicate the glory that was Costco's combo pizza.