The Costco food court has a long-standing reputation for being a simple and straightforward landmark of the Costco shopping experience.
In standing with this tradition of simplicity, Costco has never developed a system for online ordering from their food court. And this isn’t likely to change due to a recent decline in popularity and sales and some rumors that Costo food courts might be closing.
What all this means is that in order to get a pizza from the Costco food court, you’ll have to either go in person or find a clever workaround. Costco does not accept online orders at any of their food court locations.
Today, we’ll go over some alternative ways to get a Costco pizza delivered without having to visit the food court in person.
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Why Does Costco Not Take Pizza Orders Online?
To answer this question, it’s important to look at the history and business model of the Costco food court.
The Costco food court started out as a single hot dog stand outside of a Costco Warehouse location in California in the mid 1980s. Since then, Costco has retained this ethos of simplicity and tradition. So, part of their reasoning for not allowing online orders is that it simply wouldn’t serve the overall tradition of their food courts.
The second reason Costco doesn’t take online food court orders is because there’s a chance they might not be able to handle the influx of orders that could flood in from online shoppers.
If you’ve ever visited a Costco food court, then you know how extremely busy they can get. Now, imagine if that food court was also managing dozens of online orders every hour. In order to serve Costco shoppers with as much speed and efficiency as possible, the Costco food court focuses all of their attention on in-person shoppers by not allowing online orders.
Lastly, there’s a good chance that Costco hasn’t made the jump to online ordering in recent years because the nature of the Costco food court is changing. If anything, Costco seems to be moving in the direction of potentially closing their food courts in the coming years. So, developing an online ordering system probably wouldn’t be financially wise if there’s a chance the whole model could go under in a few years time.
Types of Pizza Available at The Costco Food Court
As of 2023, the Costco food court only sells two types of pizza–cheese and pepperoni.
A full 18” pizza of either variety costs $9.95. You can also order a single slice for just $1.99.
In the past, Costco also offered a vegetable pizza as well as a combo pizza, which combined meat, cheese, and vegetables. Unfortunately, these offerings were discontinued several years ago (to the dismay of shoppers everywhere).
Each Costco pizza comes with twelve slices. Keep in mind that each Costco pizza is one-and-a-half feet wide, so a single piece is quite large.
When it comes to quality, Costco pizza is known for being tasty, filling, and a great value for the price. But… it’s not known for being the most amazing pizza in the world, especially if you’re a fan of traditional pies.
These Reddit users explain it well…
Alternative Ways to Order Costco Pizza Online
Since you can’t order pizza online from Costco, we decided to look into some other options. Check out our in-depth look at how to get a pizza delivered from Costco without having to go in person.
Below, we’ll go over the basic alternatives. Remember that at most Costco locations, anyone can order pizza from Costco regardless of whether or not you have a membership.
Order by Phone
Even though Costco doesn’t take online orders, they are more than happy to take food court orders over the phone.
The next time you’re craving a Costco pizza, simply look up the phone number of your local Costco and give them a call.
When you reach the Costco answering service, select the option to speak with the food court and let them know what kind of pizza you would like to order. The employee on the other end will let you know how long it will be until your pizza is ready. Wait times can range anywhere from about 15 minutes to one hour depending on how busy the food court is when you call.
You can pay for your pizza on arrival and take it back home to enjoy. This is by far the quickest, cheapest, and most fool-proof way to order a Costco pizza ahead.
TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a convenient service connecting users with freelancers who perform a wide range of tasks from gift wrapping to running errands. As a third-party service, TaskRabbit can enable you to hire someone to pick up your Costco pizza for you.
Simply create an account with TaskRabbit, find someone who hires themselves out for “shopping” or “delivery,” then let them know what you want.
Keep in mind that you can either ask your TaskRabbit freelancer to place your pizza order for you over the phone or in person, or you can place the order yourself over the phone and simply hire them to pick up the pizza.
It’s also important to note that TaskRabbit freelancers are paid by the hour, and many of the most reliable workers on the platform charge between $30 and $40 per hour.
Instacart
While it doesn’t enable you to order pizza from the Costco food court online, Instacart is a popular option for ordering Costco groceries without a Costco membership.
Getting a Costco pizza delivered through Instacart is a bit complicated, but it’s definitely possible. Check out our post about Costco pizza delivery hacks to read all about Instacart pizza delivery from Costco.
FAQs
Can you order a custom pizza from Costco?
Yes. However, the options are limited. Because the Costco food court only sells two different types of pizza, the only way to customize a Costco pizza is to ask for half cheese and half pepperoni.
Does Costco still have combo pizza?
No. Unfortunately, Costco permanently discontinued their combo pizza in 2021.
Does Costco sell frozen pizza?
Yes. Costco sells a variety of frozen pizzas in stores as well as online, including their Kirkland Signature Cheese Pizza, Kirkland Signature Supreme Cauliflower Crust Pizza, and a Double Pepperoni Pizza from Motor City Pizza Co.
