Why Costco Pokes Holes In Its Food Court Pizza

For those in the know, Costco's food court is the stuff of legend. From the famous cheap Costco hot dog meal to the unusual and iconic chicken bake, it's a much-discussed but still often underrated benefit of membership in the warehouse club. Among the most satisfying options is Costco's pizza, which observant shoppers and diners may have noticed is perforated with small holes throughout the crust. This isn't an accident or just some style element. It plays a critical role in baking the crust.

Costco pizza is prepared using a process that pokes these holes in both the bottom and top of the dough. The former is done using a specially designed pan, while the latter is accomplished with a lesser-known but highly effective kitchen tool known as a pizza docker. Pizza dockers function like a rolling pin covered in spikes and are hand-rolled over dough before topping and baking. This creates holes that allow gas to escape during baking rather than gather within the dough and cause unsightly bubbles. This reliable quality is especially important for outlets like Costco. Employees have indicated that busier stores make several hundred pizzas per day on weekends.

Though it might seem like a step you don't often encounter in the pizza-making world, it's another sign of the precision and consistency found throughout the process of making Costco pizza. The finely tuned steps even include a special dough-squishing device that uses heat and pressure to turn dough into uniformly thick pizza crusts. Similarly, a proprietary sauce-dispensing machine ensures there's precisely the same amount of delicious tomato sauce on each pie. Cheese is also carefully measured to prevent burning or other issues. The club also uses conveyor belt-style pizza ovens to evenly cook all sides of the pie for the same length of time.

Of course, the dough docker and other pizza equipment aren't the only surprising secrets of the Costco food court. An employee on Reddit shares that customers ordering whole pies can sometimes get extra toppings if they ask (depending on who's working at the time).

So don't be concerned over the many little holes you may notice poked in your next Costco pizza. They're supposed to be there, and they're a critical part of the slice you're about to enjoy.