Louisiana Costco Shoppers Not Thrilled with Food Court Change

If you Google the question "How many Costco stores are there in Louisiana" you will find out that, according to "the Google" there are three locations of the giant warehouse-style retailer. Lafayette has a Costco. Baton Rouge has a Costco. And New Orleans has a Costco too, the New Orleans location is supposed to be something special but I have never been so we will take the Internet's word for it.

Among the many reasons patrons of Costco enjoy shopping are the selection, the service, the savings, and of course the food court. Costco has an almost cult-like following for its Hot Dog and Soda special. 

However, many Costco shoppers were disappointed to find out that they were unable to purchase food from the Food Court without a membership to the giant warehouse club. Despite that change and the pushback, it hasn't really hurt food court sales. So I would imagine the principles at Costco will hold on to the policy and wait for the complaints to blow over.

The Costco Food Court Change That Isn't Sitting Well in Louisiana

Let's face it the food at Costco's food court is not gourmet by any stretch of the imagination. It's okay but it's not the "first date fall in love" kind of dining. It's more like "I am starving let's grab a snack while we attempt to lift 200 pounds of mayonnaise" kind of dining.

For most of us, the process of ordering our snack was pretty simple. Costco used the "take a number" system. In other words, you placed your order, got your order number, and then waited for your number to be called.  That's not how it works now and for someone who just wants a soda and a hot dog, the new method can be mildly totally infuriating.

The new system for ordering works this way. You now order your meal/snack from a digital kiosk. That's nothing new, the fast food places use those in most locations now. But it's after you order that the Costco food court can become a frustrating nightmare of standing in line.

Once you place your order the Costco team starts preparing it. However, they prepare and process orders in the order they were received. Let's say you ordered a hot dog and a soda. If you placed your order right after a lady with six kids who ordered a slew of dogs, drinks, sushi, or whatever you're going to have to wait for her order to be completed before you get yours.

Under the "old system" the simpler the order, the faster it was processed. Or at least it seems that way to me.

To be fair, Costco hasn't rolled out this food court change to all of its locations. In fact, they are still "testing" it at select stores. However, Louisiana Costco shoppers that we explained the proposed changes to weren't having it. The thought of waiting behind someone who has placed a complicated order when all you want is a hot dog just doesn't seem "right".

Well right or wrong, it's probably going to happen at your favorite Costco if it hasn't happened already. But at least you know now and you'll know to place that order fast before Madea and her family come strolling in with a multi-faceted food order that's really going to delay your shopping experience.