The Fast Food Staple Costco Food Courts Only Sell Outside The US

From generous edible samples to a thrifty food court, Costco stores have mastered the art of creating an enjoyable shopping experience by enticing customers with tasty food. After a day of shopping at the members-only warehouse, people love stopping at the Costco food court for various items, like an incredibly affordable $1.50 hot dog combo or a pizza you can take hot-to-go. Not all Costco food courts are the same, however. 

The bulk retailer's food court items differ depending on where you live. For instance, you'll find poutine on the menu in Canada and croquetas in Spain. Those lucky enough to have visited a Costco in a different country might have noticed another menu item not found in the United States: fried chicken. 

According to a Costco Reddit thread, the Costco in Hangzhou, China offers buckets of spicy fried chicken legs (3 pieces) for $43.9 yuan or $6.07 U.S. dollars. Another Costco thread shows the same spicy fried chicken on the menu in Suzhou, China, for the same price, which, as one Redditor pointed out, is about the price of four hot dogs. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, Costco members can buy a 6-piece crispy chicken bucket for $289 Taiwanese dollars or $8.87 U.S. dollars. Yet, price doesn't even really matter. That the United States lacks the option for fried chicken is what really hurts. 

A few Redditors (presumably from the United States) expressed their jealousy over seeing buckets of fried chicken on other food court menus. One person in particular stated, "Shrimp bisque and fried chicken sound great! U.S. Costcos really pale in comparison." Considering the popularity of fast food fried chicken in the States, it does arguably seem like a food court item that U.S. Costco stores should offer. 

However, fast food fried chicken may be an even more popular food item in China than America, reflected in the large number of KFC restaurants in the country. As of the start of 2024 there are 10,000 KFCs in China, alone (compared to a little over 4,300 KFCs in the entire United States). Fried chicken is also an extremely popular street food in Taiwan, with vendors selling yan su ji or "salty, crispy chicken" on skewers for an eat-on-the-go snack. 

While it doesn't have buckets of fried chicken, some Canadian Costco stores offer breaded chicken strips on the food court menus. The cost is $6.99 Canadian dollars or $5 U.S. dollars, which is not a bad deal considering it comes with fries. In yet another Costco Reddit thread, American shoppers are once again envious of this fact, while Canadian customers are shocked that we don't even have fries on our menus. For now, Americans will have to settle for the Costco food court chicken bake to get their chicken fix. This, unfortunately, doesn't really come close to fried chicken.