Order Your Next Costco Pizza This Way For A Crispier Crust

Some people go to Costco for the unbeatable deals on bulk products, while others enjoy wandering the aisles sampling the unlimited free bites. But for a loyal group of fans, the real draw is the food court. With $1.50 hot-dog-and-soda combos and ginormous pizza slices, it's a wallet-friendly way to refuel after navigating the warehouse maze. Did you know, however, that you can customize some of the food items — like pizza — just by asking? For example, while the standard slice comes with a soft, doughy crust, you can request it "well done" for a crispier finish.

Costco pizzas are made fresh in the food court every hour, but individual slices still go through a conveyor belt oven to warm up to serving temperature. To order your slice well done, food court staff will likely run it through the oven again or slide it in farther to give it more heat. Sure, there's a chance the cheese might char slightly or the crust edges may darken — but for fans of a little crunch, it's worth it. Just keep in mind that during busy hours, when pizza orders are piling up and oven space is tight, staff might not always be able to accommodate special requests.

While Costco's food court menu may seem set in stone, a little creativity goes a long way. In addition to asking for your pizza "well done," you can also experiment with toppings. Though customers are officially limited to cheese or pepperoni, you can upgrade your food court pizza with a somewhat elusive item: onions, which are often available at the condiment bar. And don't forget the option of bringing your pizza home and dressing it up there, whether that means adding dried herbs, extra cheese, arugula, or a drizzle of hot honey.

Your pizza slice doesn't have to stand alone either. For some die-hard fans, combining food court items is even better than enjoying them separately. One Costco hot dog hack involves taking the cheese off a slice of its pizza and layering it on top of your frank — a salty, gooey upgrade to an otherwise plain meal. If you're feeling bold, try it with the pepperoni slice to load up on meat. Or go full Frankenstein and build the Jochizza: a Costco creation that fuses three food court favorites — the chicken bake, cheese pizza, and hot dog — into one indulgent combo.