Can You Eat At Costco's Food Court Without A Membership?

Costco's food court is an attraction all its own, truly blurring the lines between food and fun. From viral hacks, like the Forbidden Glizzy (a hot dog stuffed inside a chicken bake), to the mesmerizing way the food court slices its pizzas by using a metal guide, the cafeteria area serves as the location where many a date night for couples in their 20s and 30s occurs. All that said, Costco is a members-only warehouse chain — but does that mean you can't eat at its food court if you don't have a membership? As a matter of fact, it does. Costco's food court, like much of the rest of the store, is just for card-carrying members.

It wasn't always this way. As a matter of fact, right up until 2020, non-members could be seen mowing down $1.50 hot dog-and-soda combos along with the rest of them. However, times have changed, and Costco has made recent efforts to crack down on membership sharing. This change in 2020 to its food court policy likely served as an inducement for more people to pony up their $65 or $130, in exchange for a year's worth of shopping and other perks. After all, membership dues have historically accounted for an enormous part of Costco's profits — and they help offset loss-leaders, like the chain's cheap rotisserie chickens.

You might be thinking that if you don't have a Costco membership, the store is completely off-limits to you. That's actually not true. Like its rival chain Sam's Club (where you can actually eat at the food court without a membership), Costco allows for the purchase of alcohol to anyone, provided you live in one of these 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Texas, and Vermont.

You can also see to some of your overall health needs at Costco without paying the membership fees, as anyone can access its pharmacies. Costco also opens its Optical Center doors to the general public. However, if you don't have a membership, you can't actually purchase any eyewear or contacts through the center, but you can use it as an inexpensive and convenient way to get a prescription, which you could then use to purchase glasses online.

Finally, while you can't access its made-to-order food from the food court, you can shop Costco's groceries without a membership through Instacart. You will pay higher individual prices (to offset the costs of Costco letting you make purchases without a membership), as well as the delivery fee and tip for your driver, but it's a nice workaround if you don't want to make the commitment.