Date Night at Costco’s Food Court: Glizzies, Pizza and a Swirl

It’s no secret that North Texas is packed with elite restaurants and inventive date night ideas. But if you're over dropping $100 every time you leave the house, don’t overlook the hidden gem of Costco Wholesale’s food court.

Yes, Costco — the one place where you can snag a hearty meal, buy some reading glasses, score a quote for bath remodeling and walk away with a rotisserie chicken, all in one stop. We decided to turn our last shopping trip into a date night experiment, stretching our dollars as far as possible. (We even managed to pick up those paper towels we forgot.)
Any Costco aficionado will tell you that hitting the warehouse on a weekend is a rookie move. We circled the parking lot for what felt like 20 minutes before finally scoring a spot. When we finally made it inside, we were greeted by a kind-eyed worker who waved us through after giving our membership card a knowing glance.

We wandered past the floor-to-ceiling stacks of eye drops and vitamins and got momentarily distracted by the ridiculously cheap houseplants. But behind the registers, we spotted the signs of the beacon of our culinary paradise — the food court.

Costco is famous for its half-pound all-beef hot dog and 20-ounce soda combo, which the company swears will stay at $1.50 — as it has since the 1980s. But let’s not forget the other stars of the show: the chicken bake, turkey sandwiches, salads, smoothies and desserts.

Navigating through the jigsaw puzzle of carts and families at the ordering kiosk, we chose two hot dog and soda meals and a gigantic slice of cheese pizza to share — all for a jaw-dropping $4.99.

After awkwardly hovering around the counter, waiting for our receipt number to be called by two busy workers, we found a picnic table. We chose one with an umbrella, which, while utterly pointless indoors, added a touch of intimacy to our meal. Between bites, we indulged in people-watching as the parade of satisfied shoppers exited toward their cars.
Our carb-loaded feast left us craving a bit of exercise, so we took a jaunt around the store. We admired the evergreen knife display, dodged the 8-foot Halloween zombie that seemed perpetually ready for a dance-off and sifted through endless tables of ladies’ high-rise shorts. We were fairly full, but in case you’re still peckish, there are plenty of food and drink samples scattered throughout the aisles.

After our dizzying lap, we ultimately concluded that dessert was a must (for the story, of course). We shared a chocolate swirl ice cream sundae for $2.79, complete with syrup that actually had real strawberries in it.

For under $10, we got drinks, meals, dessert and a bit of shopping to aid digestion. If you’ve ever doubted the value of a $60 yearly membership, think again.