5 Costco Finds That Dupe Your Fast Food Favorites

Since many Costco fans seem to sprint to the store every time the food court drops a new treat, like the recently-added Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie, an argument could be made that Costco is itself a fast-food restaurant. (I wouldn't take the opposing view, since my favorite fast food chain is Ikea's super-cheap Swedish Bistro, where hot dogs are even cheaper than Costco's). However, unlike most restaurants, Costco's food court comes complete with a full-service grocery store. Here you can pick up a number of take-home items that are themselves reminiscent of some of your other fast food favorites.

Of course, there is one major difference between the Costco products and the ones purchased at a restaurant — the former are much, much cheaper. (Sadly, even fast food chains are overpriced these days.) Sure, you have to heat the food up yourself, and you may need to purchase a few add-on items in order to duplicate the fast-food experience in its entirety. Still, for savings that may amount to more than 80%, most Costco shoppers would agree that making the swap is 100% worth it.

Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks might not use the word "nuggets" in their name, but chicken nuggets is exactly what they are. They're frequently compared to the chicken nuggets sold by Chick-fil-A, since both are made with breaded pieces of chicken breast. One of our Takeout reviewers compared the two products head-to-head, and while they did prefer the fast food version, they found Costco's to be a pretty decent substitute. A Redditor was even more enthusiastic, declaring they'd "Never Buy Chick-fil-A Again" after discovering this product.

The real deciding factor, as always, comes down to price, so let's see how they stack up. Eight nuggets, ordered at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in West Allis, Wisconsin, currently costs $5.29. When you take into account that each nugget weighs approximately a ½ ounce, that's about $1.32 per ounce. If purchased at a New Berlin, Wisconsin Costco, the Kirkland Signature product runs to about $0.23 per ounce, which is 83% cheaper.

Purchase a 4-pound bag of Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks at Costco for $14.99.

Kirkland Signature Beef Chili is a supersized deli favorite that has returned to Costco for the fall season. This may be of interest to Wendy's fans, since, as one Reddit reviewer observed, "It tastes like Wendy's chili to me and I like Wendy's chili." (It may also lack the fast food item's unappetizing backstory of being made from leftover burgers, which is something another commenter pointed out.)

Yes, you really need to love chili to get through a 4-pound bucket of the stuff, although you could always freeze individual portions for later use. If you do, though, you can save yourself a bunch of money on Wendy's takeout. A small chili, estimated to be about 12 ounces, costs $3.79 at a Milwaukee Wendy's, making the unit price around $0.32 per ounce. At Costco, you'll pay just $0.28 per ounce, which is a savings of 12.5%. As a bonus, the chili also comes with a reusable Costco container.

Purchase Kirkland Signature Beef Chili at Costco for $4.53 per pound. (Each package weighs about 4.08 pounds and costs approximately $18.48.)

Several years ago, Costco introduced a rather upscale-sounding Kirkland Signature Breakfast Sandwich. This frozen entree is built on a spiral croissant, with its circular shape making a more symmetrical base than a traditional crescent-shaped one. The filling is applewood-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and a cage-free egg, all of which sounds very familiar. As well it should, since the sandwich is almost identical to Starbucks' Double-Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich, except that the latter uses hickory-smoked bacon. The resemblance was not lost on Reddit, with one r/Costco member proclaiming that the similarities went beyond ingredients and appearance: "The taste is nearly identical to the similar sandwich sold at Starbucks." Another enthused, "These are SO good! They were demo-ing them on Friday at store and they were incredible."

Needless to say, the Kirkland Signature sandwiches are also quite a bargain when compared to the coffee chain's version. The Double-Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich costs $5.95 at Milwaukee-area Starbucks stores, while a single Costco sandwich (out of a box of eight) is about $2.20. 63% savings on a bougie breakfast sandwich? Sign us up!

Purchase an 8-count box Kirkland Signature Breakfast Sandwiches at Costco for $17.58.

Sous vide cooking was super-trendy back in the 20-teens, and Starbucks jumped on the bandwagon in 2017 with sous vide egg bites. Nearly a decade later, Starbucks still sells this product in two different flavors: bacon and gruyère, and egg white and roasted red pepper. Not to be outdone, Costco has a few Kirkland Signature sous vide egg bites of its own, these being uncured bacon and gouda and egg white with cheese trio and roasted red pepper. 

The flavors may be slightly different — the three-cheese blend in Kirkland's egg whites bite is cottage, Monterey Jack, and parmesan, while Starbucks replaces the last-named with feta. Even so, one Redditor is convinced that the product is the same as Starbucks-branded bites: "The box dimensions, the instructions, the vacuum seal on the individual servings, the text on the individual serving unit. All are identical to Starbucks." On a different r/Costco thread about the same product, someone else remarked, "They taste better than the Starbucks version in my opinion ... great buy."

Sous vide egg bites purchased at a Starbucks in Milwaukee cost $5.75 for just two pieces. A similar-sized serving made with the Kirkland Signature product costs about $2.68, which is less than half the price. (A 53% savings, to be more precise.) And that's not even counting the expensive coffee you might tack onto your order instead of making it at home. Once again, it's Costco for the win.

Purchase a 10-count package of Kirkland Signature Sous Vide Egg Bites in either Uncured Bacon and Gouda or Egg White with Cheese Trio and Roasted Red Pepper at Costco for $13.38.

The last item on our list isn't a Kirkland Signature-branded one, but Don Miguel Chicken Mini Tacos are something Costco has been selling at its warehouses for the past few years. ome have compared it to Jack in the Box Tiny Tacos, although they might even be considered an upgrade of sorts. JITB Tiny Tacos are filled with a ground beef/ground chicken combo, while Don Miguel's include white meat chicken, roasted corn salsa, and Monterey Jack cheese.

The mini tacos sold at Costco cost approximately $0.20 each, as compared to the $0.27 you might pay for the fast food ones. (At a Chicago-area Jack in the Box, a 13-piece order of Tiny Tacos costs $3.50.) This amounts to a 26% savings, but if cheese is a must-have, the Sauced & Loaded Tiny Tacos cost about 35 cents each. That means you'd pay about 43% more at the drive-thru, making the Costco knockoff a much better deal, even if you do need to supply your own napkins.

Purchase a 3.15-pound, 72-count box of Don Miguel Chicken & Cheese Mini Tacos at Costco for $14.34.