Why Doesn't Costco's Food Court Have French Fries? Customers Have Their Theories - Tasting Table

"Data from Maximize Market Research shows that Americans eat 30 pounds of french fries per year on average. You can find them on the menu at hundreds of different restaurants, but Costco's food court isn't one of them. At least not usually. Even though french fries are clearly beloved, cost efficient, and pretty easy to make, most Costcos just don't have them on the menu, and a lot of shoppers speculate about why."

"The first and most obvious reason your average Costco food court doesn't sell fries is that it doesn't have deep fryers. It's obvious, but it doesn't explain why they never installed fryers. Building on the equipment issue, others have speculated that it would cost money to install and maintain fryers, plus employees would need additional training. Most of what Costco offers normally can all be prepared with the same equipment, which helps keep costs down."

Americans eat about 30 pounds of french fries per year on average, and fries appear on many restaurant menus, yet most Costco food courts do not offer them. Many Costco locations lack deep fryers, and installing fryers would require capital expenditure, ongoing maintenance, oil changes, and additional employee training. Deep fryers introduce safety and cleanliness concerns, including fire risk, greasy mess, and stray fries or fingerprints on merchandise. Some Costcos previously sold fries but later discontinued them, suggesting local variation and operational challenges influence whether fries appear on a specific food-court menu.

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