Costco's popular food court soon to require membership

JACKSON TWP. – The same day the sun disappears in the afternoon sky, so too will the ability of non-members to stroll into Costco to take advantage of its $1.50 lunch.

That's because the warehouse club, with a newish location at 4953 Huckleberry St. NW, will require a membership to anyone who wishes to order at its food court.

The wildly popular hot dog-and-drink combos, along with slices of pizza, gooey chocolate chip cookies and cups of ice cream have been one of the attractions for the new store, which opened during Summer 2023 in Jackson Township. And, as of April 8, those who regularly partake will need to use an active Costco membership card to order and pay for food.

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In the past, visiting the food court has typically been an easy visit, passing by an employee checking for cards as shoppers enter the huge store.

My pal Amy Knapp, education reporter for The Massillon Independent and Canton Repository, and I stopped in recently for lunch in the food court.

We tried almost everything available, from that famous hot dog combo to pizza slices (both pepperoni and plain cheese), the chicken bake, a turkey-and-swiss sandwich, and the double chocolate chunk cookie. Yes, we also dipped into the ice cream sundaes.

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There was a steady stream of individuals and families eating in the food court, with the majority ordering the hot dog combo or pizza.

The $1.50 hot dog combo includes a quarter-pound-plus all beef hot dog and a 20-ounce soda (with refill). Condiments were available. The hot dog was hot and plump, with a good snap. Pizza ($1.99 for a slice, $9.94 for a whole pie) had lots of cheese and pepperoni, and if you enjoy a lot of puffy crust, this would be your thing.

Neither of us cared for the chicken bake ($3.99), a long, roll with chicken breast chunks, pieces of bacon and Caesar dressing with cheese shreds on the outside. We both thought that if the chicken had been cut much smaller it might have helped. The turkey-and-swiss sandwich ($6.99) was a large ciabatta roll stuffed with sliced and oven-roasted turkey breast, swiss cheese, crisp lettuce, a mayo-and-mustard spread at the bottom and sun-dried tomato spread, similar to a pesto, at the top. It cut easily with a plastic knife to share, was filled with ingredients yet easy to eat. Tasty and fresh.

We skipped the rotisserie chicken Caesar salad ($6.99), cold brew mocha freeze ($2.99) and fruit smoothie ($2.99).

For a sweet ending, we also dug in. We shared a few bites of the double chocolate chunk cookie ($2.49), which is served warm. It was a little too thick for my liking, but had great buttery and chocolate flavors and you can never go wrong with a cookie served warm. We also shared a few spoonfuls of two ice cream sundaes ($2.49 each) − chocolate ice cream with chocolate topping, and vanilla ice cream with strawberry topping. I didn’t care for the chocolate sundae, but the strawberry sundae was OK. Both boasted generous amounts of ice cream and toppings. If you're not interested in toppings, an ice cream cup ($1.99) also is available.

For those who feel the food court is a must visit, Costco memberships soon will be a must.

First Watch gets tropical

First Watch, a chain of brunch and lunch restaurants with a location at 5075 Dressler Road NW in Jackson Township, has introduced a new seasonal menu featuring tropical flavors.

The five limited-time offerings will be available nationwide through May 26. Company officials say the new menu items blend returning customer favorites with new creations.

The new menu items include shrimp and grits, hacienda hash, Hawaiian french toast, holey donuts and a tropical sunrise juice.

Reach Bev at bshaffer@gannett.com or 330-580-8318.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Dig in at Costco food court before memberships are required