(NEXSTAR) – Don’t worry, it’s not the hot dog combo.
A trip to the Costco food court might cost a little more these days, seeing as U.S. locations have raised the prices of two popular menu items — the fountain soda and the chicken bake — at wholesale clubs across the country.
The 20-ounce sodas, which were formerly priced at $0.59, are now selling for $0.69, while the chicken bake, which sold for $2.99 apiece, is now $3.99, according to information provided to Nexstar from several Costco locations throughout the U.S.
A representative for Costco’s corporate offices declined to comment on reports of increased prices, but employees at Costco outlets in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois and Texas have all confirmed the new pricing after being contacted by Nexstar.
“It’s sad but true,” one employee said.
Costco’s leadership, however, had recently calmed concerns over rumored plans to increase the price of the hot dog and soda combo, one of the food court’s most popular items.
In a May 2022 earnings call with investors, Costco Senior Vice President Bob Nelson even took a moment to address those rumors after becoming aware of “incorrect information floating around on social media.”
“Let me just say, the price — when we introduced the hot dog combo in the mid-’80s — was $1.50. The price today is $1.50, and we have no plans to increase the price at this time.”
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Costco’s membership fees. In March 2022, Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti discussed the possibility of a membership hike in the near future, “especially in light of companies like Amazon and Netflix raising their fees” earlier in the year.
Galanti said Costco had raised its membership fees three times over the last 15 years, or approximately once every “five years and seven months,” on average. If the intervals between Costco’s previous increases — the last being in 2017 — hold steady, customers may expect to start paying higher membership fees in 2023.
“You guys will know when we tell you, and at some point it will happen,” Galanti told a USB analyst during the March presentation. “But stay tuned.”
