Costco Vs Sam’s Club Food Court: Here’s How The 2 Compare

After waiting for far too long, my family finally bought a Costco membership for the first time. We’ve discovered plenty to love about shopping there and are learning how to save money buying groceries from Costco, making weekly (sometimes twice weekly) visits. I now can say that I totally get the hype. Costco’s Kirkland Signature items are outstanding and the meats we’ve tried have all been perfect. Of course, the Costco food court is another huge perk, and each member of my family has a favorite offering.

While we have easy access to the food court now that we’re members, we’ve always had access to the food court at Sam’s Club since even non-members are welcome there. I knew the two food courts were similar in a lot of ways, but I wondered if one was honestly better than the other. So, I set out to compare each food court in every aspect, from overall aesthetic to even condiment bar offerings. Whichever store wins the most categories will be deemed the better food court.

Between Costco and Sam’s Club, there is a significant difference between the level of access anyone who walks into the store can have. At Sam’s Club, you don’t need to be a member to dine in the food court. Not only that, but when you walk into the store (at least at my location), there’s no one checking membership cards. Costco, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. Up until April 8, 2024, Costco didn’t require a membership in order to eat at its food court — like at Sam’s Club, non-members could walk right in and enjoy a slice of pizza. Now, though, everyone must scan a card in order to enter the store, even if they just want a hot dog.

Each store’s cafe is located towards the front of the store. However, at Costco, it’s awkwardly located just beyond checkout but on the opposite side of the entrance (at least at my location). This requires a little bit of careful maneuvering to avoid lines of carts in order to get to the cafe right when you enter the store. At Sam’s Club, the food court is in the same general area as the entrance, so you don’t really have to worry about navigating long checkout lines to get there. I’m giving the ease of access category to Sam’s Club since everyone is welcome to eat there.

When you picture a cafe (the term Sam’s Club uses for its food courts), there’s a good chance that what you’re imagining is a great deal swankier than the seating either location offers. You’ll actually see the same seating style at each warehouse location. Sam’s Club and Costco have bench-style seating, often in the general shape of a picnic table. The seats themselves are hard, making them easy to wipe down but hardly comfortable.

These areas are generally pretty similar, but I found the Costco location to feel a little more off to the side, while Sam’s Club’s seating felt to be in the middle of the action. At Costco, you could grab a bite and easily take a seat to enjoy a bit of people-watching and snacking, but Sam’s Club was more of a fishbowl situation. Some cafes will certainly be oriented differently; the vibe of Costco’s felt like more of an intentional cafe area, while the spot at Sam’s Club felt plopped in the middle of the entrance and exit area. For comfort and location of seating, I’ll hand this category to Costco.

The ordering processes between Costco and Sam’s Club could not be more different. At Costco, you can order at a computer terminal without needing to speak to an associate. You can even pay right there. If you would prefer to talk to an associate when you order, there’s still an option to do that, but I always prefer the computer, especially if I’m a little indecisive when placing my order.

Sam’s Club, on the other hand, requires that you order at the counter if you didn’t order ahead of time on the app with a process known as “Scan & Go,” which is only available to members. While this isn’t necessarily the worst news, it does make for a much slower ordering process, and likely a line. In my case, there certainly was one. If you are a member, the Scan & Go process in the cafe is a very convenient way to order and pick up food, but if you’re not a member, it’s not a perk you can enjoy.

Though ordering couldn’t be more different, actually picking up food was pretty similar. In both instances, I waited with a slew of other people also waiting for their food. At Sam’s Club, we were arranged in something of a line with each person returning to the counter to collect their food. Costco calls out food orders via a number system. Even though Sam’s Club has a Scan & Go option, I have to award this category to Costco because I enjoyed the ordering process much more.

What’s a hot dog without condiments? Frankly, not much. Thankfully, both stores have a condiment bar, so there’s no need to settle for a naked hot dog. Costco’s hot dog condiment bar is fairly simple, and you have three options: ketchup, mustard, and relish. All three condiments are dispensed through pumps, and based on the number of visits I’ve had to the Costco condiments bar, I have noticed that the area isn’t particularly well tended to. I frequently find a mess or splotches of condiments hanging about. Perhaps it’s reasonable to expect this with condiment pumps, but it is unsightly.

Sam’s Club has a meatier condiment bar with plenty more options. I was expecting to feel less impressed by Sam’s Club, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that its condiment section is quite a bit cleaner, and you don’t need to hold up a line of people as you dispense condiments onto your hot dog, like at Costco. Instead, you can grab them and take them with you back to your table. It also makes eating a hot dog on the run a little bit easier since you can take condiments to go. Sam’s Club wins this one, thanks to having a more thorough and well-kept condiment bar.

One of the more iconic meals at both food courts is the hot dog meal. On the surface, the meals are very similar, each with a hot dog and drink; upon closer look, they’re actually pretty different. First, there’s a tiny price difference between the meals. Costco’s hot dog is $1.50, and the Sam’s Club dog is slightly less at $1.38. It’s a small difference between the two, but if you’re really hoping to save, it’s an important detail.

Sam’s Club’s hot dog has a brownish hue to it, and there’s not as much snap to the hot dog casing as some other brands I’ve tried. The bun was also a letdown. Picture the simplest of all discount hot dog buns and you have the Sam’s Club bun. The flavor of the hot dog was pretty good, but the texture and color weren’t where they needed to be.

Costco’s hot dog, on the other hand, was a nice shade of reddish-brown with a better snap of the casing. The bun was also more substantial, perhaps making it clear where your extra pennies are going. The flavor checks out, too, and with condiments, it’s even better. Simply put: Costco’s hot dog meal is just superior.

Pizza preferences are deeply personal and as different from Chicago to New York as the accents of the cities. Costco and Sam’s Club have wildly different styles of pizza. Just about the only thing nearly the same between the two pizzas is the price — Costco’s slice will cost $1.99, and Sam’s Club’s is a penny less at $1.98.

Sam’s Club’s pizza was pillowy and a little on the thick side. It reminded me of the type of crust you’d find at larger pizza chains like Pizza Hut or Papa John’s. Pepperoni was the dominant flavor, as there was a fair amount of meat on the pizza. Although I initially liked the little pizza box the slice came in, I discovered that it was very flimsy and difficult to manage. It seemed my pizza might make a run for it with any jostling.

Costco’s pizza crust was much thinner with a ton of pepperoni that was cupping quite a lot (something I loved to see). Other than that, the flavor was exactly what you’d expect. Like Sam’s Club, it tasted heavily of pepperoni, though I felt the cheese was a little more toasty than I’d like to see it. Even still, I prefer the flavor and texture of Costco’s pizza over the pillowy pizza from Sam’s Club.

Of the three food categories Sam’s Club and Costco shared, sampling the ice cream was my favorite. Both food courts offer sundaes with toppings and simple soft serve, but I went all-out and tried the more unique specialty sundaes. I learned for both that you’ll want to keep an open mind when ordering ice cream. For one reason or another, the food court may not have what you’re hoping for, so be open to swaps.

I tried Costco’s sundae first. Although the check-out computer told me that the vanilla and berry ice cream was unavailable (leaving only chocolate and berry), when I went to pick up my order, the opposite turned out to be true. So I ended up with a vanilla and berry sundae, exactly what I had hoped for. The topping had red berries and syrup in it that mixed well into the ice cream. The vanilla ice cream was ultra-sweet, and the huge fruit serving really made it look like the kind of sundae you’d get from an ice cream shop rather than a warehouse food court, though you’d be hard-pressed to find it for the $2.29 Costco charges.

Sam’s Club was also having availability issues. I asked for a berry and vanilla sundae to compare the store’s version to Costco, but the berry topping was apparently frozen, so I went for the brownie sundae instead. The ice cream here was frostier than I expected and tasted less creamy, almost like frozen milk rather than rich ice cream. The brownie had a very artificial flavor to it, and I didn’t find the frosting helped either. That said, it sure looked appetizing, especially for $1.58. Even still, this is another easy win for Costco.

Costco has a fair amount of unexpected items on its food court menu. In addition to the shared menu items, you can also get a sandwich, salad, smoothie, or even frozen coffee. One of the more interesting options available is the chicken bake. This is a hot pocket-style meal, with a filling of cheese, chicken, and Caesar salad dressing (the secret ingredient behind this beloved food court offering). It’s a bite of protein-full, rich, and nicely sauced savory goodness that is always cooked perfectly well.

I’ve also found the smoothies to be quite enjoyable. The strawberry banana option has all the taste of a typical freshly-made strawberry smoothie, and it’s more than a little impressive that you can just pick it up at the Costco counter. It’s the ideal drink to enjoy while you’re making your shopping trip. Costco should seriously consider adding cup holders to its carts.

Sam’s Club also has a few unique offerings on its menu. The items that stand out the most are the pretzels. Available in salted or cinnamon sugar, the typical soft pretzel is similar in scope to what you might get at Auntie Anne’s. Sam’s Club also offers something a little more unique in its pizza pretzel. It’s like a typical soft pretzel but with cheese and pepperoni, and you also get a couple of marinara sauce cups ideal for dipping.

Sam’s Club doesn’t have many unique offerings in terms of drinks, but you can take pre-bottled drinks to go. This makes grabbing a drink ultra easy, without the need to even visit the soda fountain. Even though pizza pretzels are no doubt delicious, between the different unique options between Costco and Sam’s Club, I prefer the options at Costco.

On the surface, the Costco and Sam’s Club food courts seem pretty similar. However, in almost every way, Costco’s version of the food court is an improvement on what Sam’s Club offers. While the condiment selection at Sam’s Club is better than Costco’s, the quality of food, items offered, general feel of the space, and ordering process at Costco all make for a better experience.

Though the prices on both menus are pretty similar, Costco is a little bit more expensive (though Costco’s CEO has stated that the hot dog price won’t be going up). That additional expense is well worth the higher-quality pizzas, hot dogs, and ice cream, just to name a few. In the end, the score is six to two, with Costco handily pulling ahead as the better food court.