Reddit Is Loving This Costco Food Court Hot Dog Tip

When it comes to post-shopping snacks, it doesn't get more classic than the Costco all-beef hot dog dressed up at the shiny silver condiment bar filled with tubs of ketchup, mustard, and relish. However, one creative Reddit user has found a way to upgrade this classic budget dog in a deceptively fancy way.

Costco has famously kept the price of their undeniably delicious hot dogs steady over the years at just $1.50 for the dog and a drink. In fact, the price has remained the same since the start of the Costco food court, which originated as a humble Hebrew National hot dog cart placed in front of a San Diego warehouse in 1984. This standout deal has resulted in Costco selling over 100 million hot dogs every year.

While the majority of those hot dogs are likely topped with a simple line of ketchup or mustard and gobbled up on the spot, a recent post to the subreddit r/Costco illustrated the true potential of Costco's low-priced dog — as long as you're willing to put in a little extra effort.

Reddit user @greenspleen3 shared a hack for transforming a humble Costco food court dog into a "gussied up" gourmet experience by posting an image of the beef frank sliced down the middle and topped with yellow mustard, cheese, relish, and diced white onion. "Gussied up Costco food court dog. Best $1.50 I've spent in my life!" the person wrote in their caption.

Costco food court fans flocked to the comments of the Reddit page to share their admiration for the fancified dog with comments like, "He made it look like a $5 hotdog this man is a genius," "If that dog was at Pinks it would be $17," and "That's a good looking wiener!"

The savvy food court-goer shared his process for constructing the dog in response to a commenter asking, "Did you take it home and slice it down the middle?" The amateur gourmand confirmed he sliced the hot dog down the middle and grilled both the bun and hot dog in a pan before adding "Tillamook sharp cheddar, relish, mustard and raw onion." The result was a truly gourmet-looking hot dog that could rival a dressed-up ballpark dog any day.

In response to a complaint that the hot dog bun gets soggy by the time it makes it home from Costco, another Redditor shared an additional hot tip, saying, "Food court employee here. Just ask them nicely to bag your hotdog and the bun in two different bags lol. We do it all the time. That way your bun wont get soggy for when you take it home."

While this simple trick seems like an easy way to take any Costco all-beef frank to the next level, the most difficult part might just be waiting until you're home to dig in.