Costco is getting rid of its churro — and may be replacing it with a food court item its fans hate

Rumors about the lack of churros in stores nationwide first picked up steam on Reddit last month

By Joy Saha

Staff Writer

Published January 16, 2024 1:10PM (EST)

Costco Food Court (George Rose/Getty Images)
Costco Food Court (George Rose/Getty Images)

A new year means new updates to Costco’s lauded food court menu. Some changes have been met with favorable feedback, like fans celebrating the return of raw onions as a topping on Costco’s hot dogs. But recently, the wholesale retail giant has been leaving its fans gravely disappointed and unfortunately, that’s how many are feeling after Costco quietly replaced a popular sweet treat with another.

Back in December, rumors began circulating that Costco had removed its beloved fan-favorite churro and added a double chocolate chunk cookie to take its place on the menu. Reddit users were convinced that the $1.49 deep-fried choux pastry dough treat was gone for good after more stores nationwide began introducing a 750-calorie Chocolate Chip Cookie.    

“My brother (Costco employee) just told me they were getting rid of the churros at the food court and replacing them with cookies,” wrote one Reddit user last month. “Not sure what sort of cookies, I asked if they would be similar to the ones in the bakery but he didn't have much information. Was wondering if anyone else had heard this rumor or had seen signs of this happening already.”

A few folks confirmed that the news was true, claiming Costco had “found a company to make the cookies” and that agreements were finalized. The cookies, they said, would show up in early 2024 along with chocolate ice cream, which one user alleged would appear before summer.

The “all butter” cookie with bittersweet and semisweet chocolate is indeed real and expected to arrive in all U.S. stores by the end of January, Axios reported. The cookies sell for $2.49, which is a dollar more than the churro and 50 cents more than a slice of pizza. According to Axios, each cookie weighs approximately 6 ounces each. They are served warm and best enjoyed warm to ensure that the hefty chocolate chunks are nice and gooey.     

Thus far, the chocolate chip cookies have garnered mixed reviews from longtime food court fans. Many were elated that the churros were gone and excited to try the cookies.

“I'm sorry, but the churros became obsolete when the ‘50% more expensive,’ ‘new’ and ‘much less improved,’ ‘twisted’ version appeared during [C]ovid,” one user said. “Those were so terrible I couldn't even choke it down and had to toss most of it against my strict parental upbringing that we must finish EVERYTHING we are served.” Similarly, another user wrote, “I love Costco, but their churro is genuinely one of the worst I've ever had. There's basically zero flavor and I feel like I'm eating tasteless dough.”


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Others, however, mourned the churros and were skeptical about the cookies:

“God I miss the churros from 20 years ago,” said one Redditor, while another asked where they could find fresh, warm churros now that Costco will no longer be carrying them.

It’s too early to tell whether the chocolate chip cookie will be a major hit or not. Those who have tried it said they felt sick after eating a whole cookie in one sitting. “That's usually what happens when you consume 750 calories of fat and sugar in 5 minutes,” wrote one user in response. Others were shocked that the cookie, which doesn’t look incredibly massive in photos, is able to contain a whopping 800 calories.

Costco hasn’t officially confirmed any information regarding the cookies.


By Joy Saha

Joy Saha is a staff writer at Salon. She writes about food news and trends and their intersection with culture. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.

MORE FROM Joy Saha


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Aggregate Chocolate Chip Cookie Churro Costco Food Court Menu Food News