We've all got reasons for our Costco addictions. For some of us, the promise of purchasing enough paper towels in bulk to forever strike them from our shopping lists is a powerful thought. Buy a box of 50,000 drinking straws, the rationale goes, and you'll know that no matter what else happens in this topsy-turvy world, you've got that whole "drinking straw" thing handled. And who hasn't managed to cobble together an entire meal, just by wandering from free sample station to free sample station, grazing on bite-sized portions of aged sharp cheddar cheese and chipotle barbecue sauce and slices of prepared chicken bake and room temperature pistachio phyllo dough puffs?
But the unsung hero of any successful Costco run, the reward for all of that bulk comparison shopping you've spent hours (and probably hundreds of dollars) on, has got to be the food court. For the uninitiated, the food court at Costco offers more than just a quiet place to sit and examine your mile-long cash register receipt, second-guessing whether or not you really needed to buy that five gallon jug of ultra-premium olive oil. There's a full menu of cheap, filling, and dare we say, really good food just waiting for you at the finish line. But if you've never dined at a Costco, there are a few things you should know ahead of time, to help maximize the experience.
