Can You Order Costco's Pizza Online?

In today's digitized landscape, it seems inconceivable that there are any food-ordering tasks you can't accomplish entirely online. Though ordering a pizza for pickup or delivery used to be done over the phone, these days, you're probably more likely to use a delivery app like Postmates or DoorDash, or even a company's own web tool when ordering from pizza giants like Domino's. In the case of Costco's beloved food court pizza, however, things work a little differently.

Although the company is considered one of the most popular pizza chains in the United States, Costco doesn't offer pizza delivery and probably never will. That's because part of the point of Costco's famously inexpensive food court is to draw customers to their stores in person, an uphill battle in the age of online retail. Costco is able to offer its pizza, hot dogs, chicken bakes, and other concessions at such low prices due to the "loss leader" strategy; essentially, the food court operates at a loss in order to attract customers to spend money on other types of products while visiting a warehouse. That strategy goes out the window if customers are able to bypass the need to stop by the store for their food.

Even if you're willing to pick up your pizza in person, there's no online ordering system in effect at Costco. Whether that's deliberate or simply a holdover from a pre-digital age, we can't say. However, if you want to place a pizza order ahead of time, there is a way to do so: You'll just have to pick up the phone and make an old-fashioned call.

Costco's food court pizza is available either as a slice, which will run you $1.99 plus tax, or as a whole pizza, which costs $9.95 (though prices may vary by location). There's no way to order a slice in advance, but if you're hoping to pick up a whole Costco pizza to enjoy at home and you don't want to wait in line, your best bet is to call the food court and place your order ahead of time.

Luckily, there's no need to call a Costco location's main line and go back and forth with an automated customer service system, because the food courts have their own phone numbers. You'll find your local Costco's food court number posted on signs near the order kiosks — make sure to snap a picture and save it for your future ordering needs. You can also find it online using the company's store locator. Simply click on the location closest to you and the phone number will be listed under "Food Court" in the "Warehouse Services" menu.

If you can't make it into a store yourself, some customers have had success calling in a pizza from the food court and arranging for an Instacart or Taskrabbit shopper to pick it up instead. Beware, though, this method depends on the delivery driver's willingness to go the extra mile. Plus, the potential for crossed wires means you may end up with a Kirkland brand frozen pizza instead — which happens to be a major disappointment.