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Costco got rid of a menu item customers hated — but they’re not happy about what replaced it either: ‘What the eff?’

Nypost · · 503 words · By Brooke Steinberg
Value for Money Consumer Dissatisfaction Health and Nutrition
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/lifestyle/costco-food-court-customers-complain-aft…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

7 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 3
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“When Costco discontinued the fan-favorite combo pizza at the food court, it was replaced with a combo calzone”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that the combo pizza was replaced by a combo calzone featuring similar ingredients (pepperoni, sausage, etc.).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Costco Food Court Launches New Combo Calzones. Instead of bringing back the Combo Pizza in its full glory, Costco decided to fold it. Yep, meet the Combo Calzone. The new menu item has all the classic…
https://www.allrecipes.com/costco-food-court-combo-calzone-1…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — At one point, Costco offered a combo pizza in the food court - it was later replaced by the combo calzone with pepperoni, sausage, peppers and onions. Reviews were mixed, especially from customers cra…
https://www.dailymail.com/yourmoney/article-15801979/costco-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This new food court calzone is filled with pepperoni, sausage, cheese, onions, peppers, olives, and mushrooms.It's the combo pizza!" a Costco subredditor notes. "We kept asking for it and it looks lik…
https://www.southernliving.com/costco-food-court-combo-calzo…
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“It appears Costco is replacing the combo calzone with chicken strips”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources report that Costco is testing or implementing the replacement of the calzone with chicken strips in select locations.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 6, 2026 · Looking to join Costco? Here’s the best way to save on a Costco membership, how deals work, and what to know before choosing Gold Star or Executive.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/shopping/deals/retailers/cost…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 5, 2025 · From bulk groceries to electronics, discover the best things to buy at Costco in 2024. Maximize your membership with our expert shopping guide.
https://camillestyles.com/food/what-to-buy-at-costco-review/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find top-quality grocery and household items at Costco. Enjoy bulk savings on food, beverages, cleaning products, and everyday essentials.
https://www.costco.com/grocery-household.html
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“the new menu item has already started to pop up at warehouses in the Chicago area”
CORROBORATED
Web results specifically mention that the new chicken strips have been reported by shoppers at select locations in Illinois (Chicago area).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 6, 2026 · Looking to join Costco? Here’s the best way to save on a Costco membership, how deals work, and what to know before choosing Gold Star or Executive.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/shopping/deals/retailers/cost…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feb 5, 2025 · From bulk groceries to electronics, discover the best things to buy at Costco in 2024. Maximize your membership with our expert shopping guide.
https://camillestyles.com/food/what-to-buy-at-costco-review/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find top-quality grocery and household items at Costco. Enjoy bulk savings on food, beverages, cleaning products, and everyday essentials.
https://www.costco.com/grocery-household.html
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“The chicken strips cost $6.99 and include five baked chicken tenders with a honey mustard-style dipping sauce”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the price of $6.99 and the quantity of five breaded chicken strips with dipping sauce.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — James D. Sinegal (born January 1, 1936) is an American businessman, co-founder and former CEO of the Costco Wholesale Corporation, an international retail chain. He served as Costco's president and CE…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Sinegal
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Costco Wholesale Corporation, trading as Costco, is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2021, Costco is the third…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Costco hot dog is a 1⁄4-pound (110-gram) hot dog sold at the international warehouse club Costco's food courts. It is notable for its steady price and cult following as a combo deal with a soda at…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco_hot_dog
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Each order contains a whipping 1,640 calories for just five chicken strips”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'order' and general Wikipedia entries for Costco and social media personalities; no nutritional data for the chicken strips was provided in the evidence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andrew "A.J." Befumo Jr. (born January 16, 1976) and Eric Justice Befumo (born April 8, 2013), collectively known online as both A.J. & Big Justice and the Costco Guys, are American social media perso…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.J._&_Big_Justice
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Costco Wholesale Corporation, trading as Costco, is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2021, Costco is the third…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Costco hot dog is a 1⁄4-pound (110-gram) hot dog sold at the international warehouse club Costco's food courts. It is notable for its steady price and cult following as a combo deal with a soda at…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco_hot_dog
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Chick-fil-A’s 10-piece Chick-n-Strips order is 1,020 calories total”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While Chick-fil-A sources are provided, they mention a 3-piece order (310 calories) but do not explicitly state the total calorie count for a 10-piece order in the provided text snippets.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is an American multinational chain of Southern fried chicken restaurants founded in 1972 in New Orleans and headquartered in Miami. It is currently a subsidiary of Toro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeyes
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Runza Restaurant (formerly called Runza Drive-Inn and Runza Hut) is an American fast food restaurant chain in the Midwestern United States whose flagship menu item is the runza sandwich.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runza_(restaurant)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Village District (formerly Cameron Village), was the first planned community to be developed in Raleigh, North Carolina. Development was started in 1947 when J.W. York and R.A Bryan bought 158 acres (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_District
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Costco warehouses in Canada sell four chicken strips and fries for $6.99 CAD”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Costco homepages and unrelated Wikipedia entries about Canada; no specific mention of a $6.99 CAD chicken strip and fries meal in Canada is present in the evidence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in Canada, as well as events that are scheduled or predicted to take place during the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Canada
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Foreign ownership of companies of Canada pertains to the majority-ownership of Canadian-based assets (including businesses and subsidiaries) by non-Canadian individuals or companies, as well as to com…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_ownership_of_companies…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Saskatchewan Blizzard of 2007 was a winter storm that struck northeastern British Columbia, central Alberta and central Saskatchewan on Wednesday, January 10, 2007. The storm hit the city of Saska…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan_blizzard_of_2007
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.