Grabbing a cheap lunch when you go to Costco is a tradition, but the warehouse chain is discontinuing one of the most popular lunch options. The Costco Polish dog and drink combo is no longer available for $1.50 — and to say people are upset is an understatement.
“Costco is getting rid of their Polish hot dog? Waiting for frogs to rain down from the sky and have my waffles be stuffed with snakes..clearly this is the first step towards annihilation,” one Twitter user wrote.
#Costco is getting rid of their Polish hot dog? Waiting for frogs to rain down from the sky and have my waffles be stuffed with snakes..clearly this is the first step towards annihilation
— Talon Bray (@TAL0IV) July 9, 2018
“The Costco Polish hot dog is being removed for an ACAI BOWL?!? I can’t take more of 2018,” added another.
The Costco Polish hot dog is being removed for an ACAÍ BOWL?!?
I can’t take more of 2018. https://t.co/GZyhKKLcsn— James Mattone (@TheJamesMattone) July 9, 2018
Why is the Costco Polish dog and drink combo being discontinued?
There were more than 137 million Costco Polish dog baskets sold in 2017 alone, but the chain wants to replace the popular meal with healthier and plant-based options, including the aforementioned acai fruit bowl, a “plant-based protein salad” and an organic cheeseburger.
And for what it’s worth, the company’s CEO doesn’t seem too thrilled about the protein salad.
“This new plant-based protein salad, I know that excites you,” he said at a shareholder meeting. “But it is healthy. And, uh, actually, it tastes pretty good, if you like those kind of things. I tried it once.”
How could you resist with such a glowing review?
The Costco Polish dog was a staple of a shopping trip to the popular warehouse. The reason? It was cheap at just $1.50 for both the dog and drink — and it made you feel better about dropping hundreds of dollars on organic chicken, toilet paper, sweatpants, a diamond ring, a full bedroom set and whatever random foods were being peddled as free samples.
Is the Costco Polish dog gone forever?
It looks like it. However, you can still get a cheap meal when you hit up Costco. The all-beef hot dog and drink combo is still $1.50 — a price it’s been the same since 1983.
“We’re known for that hot dog,” co-founder Jim Sinegal once told the Tampa Bay Times. “That’s something you don’t mess with.”
