Costco Making Major Change to the Food Court Ordering Process

The past year has been absolutely rife with major changes at Costco, from the retailer's crackdown on membership card sharing at self-checkout kiosks to the debut of its first fresh sushi counter in the United States. Now, shopper reports indicate that another significant shift is underway at Costco—and this one impacts its famous food courts.

A Costco shopper took to Reddit this week to tip off fellow members about a revamp to the food court ordering process at their local warehouse. According to the shopper, their food court is now requiring members to order from the kiosks and then wait in line at the counter to show their receipts before workers can begin preparing their food.

Previously, customers who placed their orders at the food court kiosks would receive an order number. Meanwhile, a kitchen printer would notify workers about kiosk orders so they could start preparing them and call out numbers once they're ready.

However, the shopper said the kitchen printer had been removed from their food court and only one sign had been posted to inform members of the change. This reportedly resulted in significant confusion since many customers weren't aware that they had to show their receipts after stopping by the kiosk to ensure the food court workers were notified of their orders.

"The food court worker was very stressed. And there were crowds of people not knowing their order was not being prepared as it has been for all of time," wrote the shopper.

The shopper, whose Reddit handle is u/willwork4pii, told Eat This, Not That! that the warehouse where this change took place is located in a western Chicago suburb, but declined to comment further.

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Comments on the post from fellow members indicate that at least several other Costco food courts already operate this way. One Redditor noted that their local Costco made the same change to the food court ordering process, but tried to make the transition smoother by posting more signs and having a worker direct members to show their receipts. Others said that food courts in their areas have used this ordering process for some time.

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"This is how the food court handles kiosk orders locally to me, and it works well for people who might be hearing impaired and employees don't have to call out numbers all day. But I can understand how the change will throw things off temporarily," a Redditor wrote.

It's unclear if Costco plans to change the ordering process at additional food courts, and the company did not immediately respond to our queries for comment on the reports. Still, many customers weren't shy about sharing their disdain for the idea.

"What a nightmare," one shopper commented.

"This is the stupidest change I've ever heard of. I ordered the food. Prepare it. I shouldn't have to get into a secondary line to tell you I want to prepare the food that I ordered for you to prepare," another wrote.