Say it ain't so!
3 Costco Food Items You Won’t Be Able to Find in 2025—One Has Us Devastated-megha
Published on Feb. 20, 2025
It’s safe to say that Costco members are a passionate bunch. And truly, they have reason to rhapsodize. Of course, there are the pantry staples that you can buy in bulk for a massive discount, not to mention the super affordable fresh food you can feed your whole family with. (Looking at you, $4.99 rotisserie chicken!) Then there’s the Costco food court, which also has deals galore—and who doesn’t love an affordable snacky-snack while shopping? But the wholesale retailer is making members see red by eliminating three popular items from stores in 2024, and if you haven’t noticed the changes yet, you will soon.
Now, it isn’t uncommon for Costco to switch up its offerings from year to year, like any other store. But really, Costco? Did you have to get rid of some of our favorites? Read on to find out which items you won’t see on future Costco runs.
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What Costco items disappeared in 2024?
Hot on the heels of the news that Costco food courts will be switching up their soda offerings, the membership warehouse has removed three items from its locations nationwide. One, in particular, really hurts our hearts, so let’s start there.
Kirkland chocolate chips
Sorry, bakers and chocolate chip cookie aficionados! Costco is eighty-sixing its very own Kirkland-brand chocolate chips, which used to come in both Signature Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Signature Semi-Sweet 51% Chocolate varieties. Fans are bummed not just because they’ll be missing a great deal but also because these chocolate chips were less sweet than Nestlé morsels, which many customers preferred. To add insult to injury, Nestlé chocolate chips will now be the only chocolate chip brand offered at Costco.
Why the change? According to one Reddit user who spoke with an assistant general manager at a Costco warehouse, the soaring price of cocoa had a lot to do with the decision. “Cocoa costs have risen near 200% compared to last year and this is impacting all items in this category, including branded items such as Nestlé Toll House,” the Reddit post reads. “Members can expect to see the sell prices on these items rise in all retail as we approach Q3/Q4 and new contracts on cocoa become effective.”
The phasing-out of the Kirkland chocolate chips started in August 2024.
Roast beef sandwich
Costco roast beef sandwich, we hardly knew ya. The sandwich was introduced to Costco food courts in February 2023 for $9.99 a pop, and let’s just say that from the get-go, the internet loved to hate it. For starters, the hefty price tag was an issue, particularly when shoppers can get the iconic Costco hot-dog-and-soda combo for just $1.50. Second, the quality left a lot to be desired, with Redditors complaining that it was dry, bland and overall blah.
Suffice it to say, poor sales of the sandwich contributed to its quick exit from the food court menu. However, Costco hasn’t given up on its sandwich game. Instead, it recently introduced a turkey-and-Swiss sandwich with a sun-dried tomato spread and mayo mustard slathered on ciabatta bread. It sounds delish, and it’s only $6.99—that’s 30% less than the controversial roast beef sammy.
Churros
Personally, we’d like to normalize having churros available in every food court, everywhere. But Costco disagrees, removing the fried treat in 2024. This isn’t the first time Costco has played games with its churro offerings: In 2021, it also introduced and quickly discontinued the sweet snack. What gives? Apparently, the beloved Costco chocolate chip cookie may have nudged out the churro, though we’d like to believe there’s room for both.
Could these items return to Costco?
It’s possible! Well, at least for some of these items.
First, for the good news: As noted above, Costco has removed the churro from its food court menu and brought it back before, so it’s the item most likely to return. And judging by the poor performance of the roast beef sandwich and the dismay over its price, that’s unlikely to make a Costco comeback.
And now for the bad news: Kirkland chocolate chips may never return to Costco shelves—at least not any time in the near future. Even though there’s consumer demand, the high price of cocoa is reportedly too much of a deterrent for Costco to consider producing it again right now.
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Sources:
- Mashed: “Costco Food Items That Disappeared in 2024”
- Reddit: “Kirkland Chocolate Chips Being Replaced with Nestle with Long Term Hope to Offer it Again”
- Reddit: “New Food Court Item – Roast Beef Sandwich $9.99 (Lynnwood, WA)”
- SF Gate: “Costco food court dumps churros for a new dessert. Here’s how it tastes.”
