Costco's Food Court Now Has Chocolate Ice Cream, But Not Everyone Is Happy

When Costco made the switch from frozen yogurt to soft-serve ice cream in 2020, the food court addition had everyone talking. Vanilla was initially the only flavor available, although customers could make it a sundae with the addition of chocolate or strawberry sauce. During the summer of 2023, Costco added strawberry ice cream to its menu, and fans seemed to appreciate the variety. Now, the wholesale retailer has replaced its strawberry ice cream with chocolate, and Reddit has something to say about it.

While Mashed fans think chocolate is by far the best cake flavor, Redditors aren't so sure that chocolate ice cream is superior to strawberry. "I love chocolate ice cream but tbh I'm sad the strawberry is leaving already," one commenter wrote on a Reddit thread addressing the menu change, adding, "It was a great option." Sharing that sentiment, another lamented, "I'm gonna miss strawberry. I wish they could keep it."

One commenter who claimed to have tried the new chocolate flavor said it didn't measure up to the previous pink option. "Chocolate looks richer in [the] food court picture than it tastes," they wrote, adding, "Strawberry was better having [a] more distinct flavor." On the other hand, the TikTok account @floridamomof3 — aka Meg & Maddie — raved about the treat's creaminess and flavor in a video from April 2, with Meg saying, "Sometimes the chocolate can be not right, but this is right."

While some Costco shoppers are mourning the loss of their beloved strawberry ice cream, others have been awaiting the return of a chocolatey frozen treat for years. Before the food court served soft-serve ice cream, it offered several flavors of frozen yogurt, including chocolate. Much to shoppers' dismay, however, Costco pulled the chocolate flavor from the menu in 2018 and replaced it with an açaí bowl, which many fans, quite frankly, hated. "Costco – no one wants your Acai + vanilla swirl soft serve. Bring back the CHOCOLATE! Acai tastes like berry-scented hand soap," one person tweeted at the time. A 2018 Change.org petition calling for the return of the chocolate fro-yo even racked up over 500 signatures. That said, while it's unclear if Meg & Maddie tried Costco's previous frozen offering, they certainly seemed to enjoy its new chocolate ice cream.

@floridamomof3

New chocolate soft serve from the Costco food court @Costco Wholesale #costcomamma #Megandmaddie #motherdaughters #foodreview #costcodaughter #foryourpage #costco #costcohaul #costcotiktok#costcofoodcourt#chocolatesoftserve

♬ original sound – Meg & Maddie

Made with cream rather than cultured milk, soft serve is richer and creamier than frozen yogurt. Additionally, since frozen yogurt isn't all that much healthier than ice cream, former Costco fro-yo fans likely won't dwell on the fact that the new chocolate treat isn't quite the same. At least one commenter on the Reddit thread was glad to see chocolate back on the menu, writing, "Oh good, I missed it."