American Costco Shoppers Are Jealous Of Iceland's Food Courts

Everyone knows the Costco food court is a delicious and affordable place to chow down. But Redditors have recently discovered that the Costco food court in Reykjavik is even better than what's available in America, and now we're all jealous. The reason for this jealousy is not because they have better hot dogs or chicken bakes, but because the Iceland location has a little something extra in the form of a gelato station. Says Redditor ItsAlkron, "Hot dang. I already wanted to go to Reykjavik, now I REALLY want to go to Reykjavik to get some Gelato. Just cause."

For those who haven't experienced this sweet treat, gelato is a popular Italian frozen dessert that is creamier and uses more milk than traditional ice cream in the U.S. Gelato is also served about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than American ice cream, meaning your tongue will be less numb and those flavors will really pop.

This also means we need gelato NOW for our grocery run — why can't we have it, Kirkland? 

It turns out that Costcos in the U.S. actually used to offer gelato. Says Redditor GrowingHumansIsHard, "They used to sell gelato at my location in the US. But they got rid of it a few years ago. It seemed it wasn't a good seller. Their gelato was great. Has no one else seen it in the States?" This statement is backed up by Constance Vasquez of Officine del Gelato who notes that the Kirkland Signature Food Court Gelato was discontinued after causing a "huge profit loss every period." Flavors in the U.S. included pistachio, chocolate and stracciatella (chocolate chip) that sold at 3 scoops served in a waffle cone for $1.50 or a quart to go for $4.99. This appears to differ from the Iceland options which still have the chocolate chip, but appear to also have lemon, chocolate, and strawberry flavors.

As Costco fans continue to mourn the loss of the beloved food court ice cream bar, it seems strange that this delicious Italian treat left many markets with barely a whimper. And while we might be jealous of Iceland, Redditor thepastiestcanadian gives us reason to appreciate what we've got. Says the poster, "I did the math, the hot dog pop combo with the currency conversion is about $2.20 USD there vs $1.50 in North America." 

No gelato for us, but an affordable lunch ain't too bad either.