Is Your Costco Food Court Slammed? You Might Want To Stay In Line Anyway — Here's Why

If you've worked up a hunger while shopping for 10-pound bags of Quaker Oats and bulk boxes of tennis balls, head to the Costco food court. You can relieve the stress of trying to make the difficult decision of which flavor of fruit loaf to buy by satiating your anxiety-ridden appetite with food court go-tos like chicken bakes, sundaes, and mocha freezes. On busy days, be prepared for throngs of other Kirkland-weary shoppers who have the same idea.

If your Costco food court is as busy as the inside of a concert hall during a Taylor Swift show, don't worry. Line up behind whatever number of people happened to get there first and just be patient. It will be worth the wait — and not only because you'll soon be rewarded with a hot dog and a DIY ice cream float if you stick it out.

The fact is, a busy food court means more food turnover which means fresh food is constantly being made to replace it. It may seem counterintuitive, but hitting the food court during a long lull in service is actually less preferable since it means you'll be stuck eating food that's been festering under the heat lamps for an hour or more.

Ask any Costco regular and they'll be quick to tell you the weekend is when Costco is the most packed. Hordes of shoppers don't necessarily translate to masses of people in the food court, but in practice this is exactly what happens. If you want to avoid competition shopping for 2-gallon bottles of Gatorade or pallets of Diet Sprite, it's best to shop at Costco mid-week. If fresh pizza and hot dogs are your goal, go ahead and visit on the weekends.

The food court is also naturally busier during ordinary mealtimes, meaning you can expect a lunch and dinner rush. Even when the food court is at it's busiest the staff are usually pretty quick to complete your order so long as it isn't huge. If you're feeding a crowd, it's a good idea to call a large pizza order in ahead of time so they have time to prepare it.

Another thing that tends to bring crowds to the court is when a new item is introduced to the menu — such as the new chicken strips. At $6.99, they come with five substantially-sized strips per order plus a container of dipping sauce. Among the online feedback on the item, reviewers report the chicken strips feel hefty. Not everyone's a fan, as other people are saying they're too salty, stringy, overly breaded, and not crispy enough. If your curiosity trumps your disdain for a busy food court, you can find out for yourself.