The Costco Food Court Hack For Delicious Ice Cream Floats

There is no doubting the charm of a roadside ice cream stand, with their clapboard siding and wooden picnic tables scattered on the green. Each local spot sports its own array of unique flavors and fun, family-friendly atmosphere. There is nothing better than taking a big sip from a cola float from a nice ice cream shop, but the industrial strength of a warehouse air conditioning system would make your treat even sweeter. Luckily for us, Costco offers both ice cream (at a low price) and some pretty powerful AC. The only problem? You can't order a Coke float from Costco's food court. However, there's no need to fret over this little snag, as there is one simple hack that can help you to live your ice cream float dreams during your next visit to the wholesale club.

To order your improvised Coke float, simply order a cup of ice cream and a soda. You can ask the person at the counter to only fill your cup three quarters of the way full if you'd like more room for soda. Once you've gotten your ice cream, fill your soda cup with the soft drink of your choice and pour small amounts of it into your ice cream as you eat. And there you have it — the perfect soda float at your local neighborhood Costco.

Your local Costco's powerful air conditioning isn't the only benefit of this thrifty food court hack. The do-it-yourself treat also comes with the added benefit of a low price point. A cup of ice cream from Costco will only set you back $1.99, and a fountain drink only costs 69 cents. This means that the cola float will cost you less than $3.00 (before tax). If you'd like to get really luxurious, you can make your float with a sundae rather than a regular ice cream. You can choose either a strawberry or chocolate sundae for this add-in. However, a Costco sundae costs $2.49, almost a dollar more than the regular ice cream. Additionally, if you're not a huge fan of basic vanilla, you can also order a cup of chocolate ice cream for no extra charge.

Now for the bad news. Avid Coca-Cola fans might find themselves at a loss when trying to create an authentic Coke float with this hack, as Costco food courts only serve Pepsi products. However, they carry an array of soda options, including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Starry, and lemonade. So you can choose from different ice cream and soda pairings for your float. Of course, this excludes root beer, which is a staple of the iconic (and tasty) root beer float. You'll have to stick with a Pepsi float if you're looking to make the most of this Costco hack. Despite this, the hack is still a fantastic shortcut to a low cost and extra tasty ice cream snack (Costco membership not included).