7 Rules Of The Costco Food Court

Signing up for a membership means agreeing to terms and, while it may be obvious what the rules are at your preferred Costco warehouse, there are also rules worth keeping in mind when you visit the food court. Whether it's your first time visiting or you've had your fair share of churros before they joined other missed foods on the discontinued list, some of these standards have come with updates to how the concession service operates. It's also true that some examples on how these rules apply stem from cautionary tales at select warehouses, thus reaffirming how important it is that members play nice with one another.

Sure, placing an order and grabbing a seat may seem like a mundane activity, but have you considered how you're going to navigate the benches with your shopping cart stacked high with bulk buys? And what if you've been standing there for a while and your food is nowhere in sight? Is it possible your order was called or was there something else you were supposed to do? Adhering to the rules that follow will ensure that questions like that are answered and troubling situations are easily avoided for newbie and veteran shoppers alike.

Just as there are barriers to entry for non-members to make purchases at the warehouse chain, the days of taking advantage of the food court benefits without buying into the club are nearing their end. As part of the effort to curb shoppers gaming the system and ultimately eroding the feasibility for Costco to continue offering reasonably priced combo deals like the long-lived hot dog and fountain drink pairing, a scanner system has been rolled out at store entrances across the nation. This means that an employee is verifying that the shopper entering the store matches the membership card being used to cutdown on any abuses of the system.

So then, what of those who may have grown accustomed to traveling upstream on the customer service side where Costco employees are too preoccupied validating receipts for the river of exiting shoppers. Though they haven't been introduced at all warehouses as of 2025 — similar to how international food courts carry items to make U.S. shoppers envious — some locations have adopted kiosks in the food court that can only be operated after scanning a valid membership card. Now, just as a transactions can't be completed at the registers without a connection to the club, scoring a chicken bake or a newer Italian classic after bulk shopping is a members only perk.

A quick comparison of the popularity of Costco's food court with the amount of square footage it is afforded in one of the chain's warehouses practically guarantees that table space is routinely going to be limited. That reality doesn't mean you can expect the hospitality of strangers when vying for a seat at a less than fully occupied table. Some shoppers have reported rather unpleasant interactions with peers all too willing to brush off polite entreaties for a spot to savor a pizza slice. Armed with that knowledge, it's best that you ask ahead before seating yourself at a table with someone you don't know to avoid an altercation.

Where you park yourself isn't the only point to consider given the size of shopping carts and the number of them trafficking the food court. As such, another way to exercise courtesy is to opt to enjoy the food court before you shop. On top of reducing the number of carts blocking passage between tables, this strategy comes with health benefits. You'll avoid shopping hungry if you're prone to let your stomach lead your cart-filling decisions and you'll benefit from better digestion by walking off however much food you've had before factoring in free samples scattered about the aisles.

Finding a place to sit isn't the only issue that the high volume of customers at a Costco food court creates, reinforcing the rule that you should be cleaning up after yourself. This standard of etiquette may seem obvious, but plenty of customers voice their frustration at spotting an empty seat to snag only to discover that the previous occupant left a crime scene's worth of crumbs, spills, or wrappers to discern what they themselves had eaten.

For those thinking it's the responsibility of Costco employees to keep up with table touches, collecting refuse and wiping away any residual grime, the reality remains that staffing versus volume often means their tidying up is akin to a Herculean task — especially for those trying a unique hot dog topping hack. In fact, one might think there are no public trash cans as is the case in most places in Japan where, despite that fact, litter is hard to come by. In order to keep the food court experience pleasant for everyone, it's best to take advantage of the available napkins and trash cans to do your part for sanitation.

Given the relatively low cost to stock the soda fountain compared to what the warehouse charges for cups, some club members have been spotted behaving as though there are no rules where refreshment and refills are concerned. Between the extremes of those litigiously citing the singular language of the menu that stipulates "refill" rather than "refills," and those who casually fill up their Stanley cup they brought from home, the rules of the beverage station fall more into a gray area.

Inquiries of employees have been met with a range of responses with many agreeing that you can help yourself to as many refills as you like within reason. That said, some customers have outed themselves for taking too many liberties, including passing a purchased cup off to someone else in line with the intent to use their own cup they brought into the store. Reactions to such behavior have been called out as theft while others decry food court frequenters who request a free water cup from behind the counter to then sip on the beverage of their choosing all while others wonder if they're even allowed to take water without asking.

The introduction of kiosks was meant to streamline the process at Costco food courts, but instead some warehouses found cause to resort to an even clunkier setup as a straightforward rule to take your own order wasn't being followed. In addition to implementing the membership card step to use kiosks at some locations, a number of stores require customers take their receipt and wait in line to present it to the food court employee before the items will begin to be gathered.

This shift was said to have followed too many instances where employees would call out the completed order only to have the wrong person claim the food, beverages, or combo — accidentally or otherwise. Of course, this shift in policy brought with it other issues as many Costco customers share experiences of unfamiliarity with the steps resulting in long waits after placing an order only to be told it hasn't even begun to be filled because they weren't in line. All that said — when it likely shouldn't have to be said — it's important to follow the rule of only claiming what you pay for so as not to make things unnecessarily complicated for everyone else.

It's true that kiosks are a step toward technological advancement at the food court, but full integration of digital payment methods have yet to be completed as of 2025. What that means for the Costco shopper is that while you needn't necessarily have cash handy to order a frozen drink or a melty, fan-favorite sandwich, you need to make it a rule to at least have your bank card on hand. Until further developments, no other method of payment is accepted without interacting with a food court employee.

So, even though Costco allows for alternative means of payment at the regular checkout, including the digital shop cards and the Costco Wallet, such convenience has yet to expand. Another way to consider this rule for those who've already made it a habit to leave their bank cards at home, instead relying on linked accounts on their smart devices, is to always keep some amount of physical currency at the ready. Though it means skipping the kiosk, you can still walk up to a register at the food court and order the old-school way by telling an employee what you want and paying with cash.

It may sound counterintuitive at first, but making it a rule to head to the food court when its busy could mean all the difference in the freshness of your order. Every Costco customer has likely noticed pizza pies sans slices, chicken bakes, and other items sitting beneath heat lamps, waiting to make someone's mouth water. As such, the busier the food court is, the faster the product moves and gets replaced with fresher stock. Of course, that same strategy doesn't hold true if you're ordering a whole pizza.

While you can call ahead to place your order, something advised especially if you're picking up multiple pies, the system still operates on a queue. That means your pie won't make its way through the record player-style sauce machine or along the oven conveyor belt until all the pizzas ahead of it have been fulfilled. In that case, off hours are best for prompt service so long as you keep in mind a modicum of respect for the employees. More a recommendation than a rule, employees always appreciate it when customers avoid last minute orders when the kitchen needs to be cleaned. That said, if the 15 minutes before close happens to be when you arrive at the warehouse, there's no rule stopping you from snagging your food court favorites.