While people go to Costco first and foremost to buy things in bulk, there's another thing that keeps them there — the food court. While it may seem like a store's food court is nothing more than an afterthought, Costco takes a lot of care in delivering great food to their customers, and one big fan favorite is their pizza. Not only is it inexpensive, but you get a lot of bang for your buck in regards to size and taste. What does Costco do to make their pizza so special? Let's take a look at why Costco's pizza is so delicious.
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00:00Thanks to its 750 locations and $1 billion annual food court sales, Costco is frequently
00:07cited as one of the nation's biggest pizza chains.
00:10Sure, the retail giant's ridiculously inexpensive $1.50 hot dog and soda deal gets all the attention,
00:16but Costco is a real pizza contender.
00:18In fact, according to Business Insider, the company ranked as the 14th largest pizza chain
00:23in 2015.
00:25Not too shabby for a warehouse store.
00:27But what is it that makes Costco's pizza so irresistible?
00:31Let's break it down.
00:32If you've ever ordered a slice of Costco pizza, you know that it is massive.
00:36Like hang-off-the-edges-of-your-paper-plate massive, and that giant slice will only set
00:40you back a measly $1.99, whether you choose cheese, pepperoni, or a combo.
00:45A major factor in what makes Costco pizza great is that they do not skimp on toppings.
00:50And you know that each slice you get will be fully loaded, no matter what you order
00:54or who's making it.
00:55One Costco supervisor bragged on Quora, saying,
00:58"'We never shortcut the ingredients.
01:00Everything is measured to a standard.
01:02Every Costco pizza you get should have the same amount of sauce, cheese, and toppings.'"
01:06So, how do they manage to ensure that each and every pie is so perfect?
01:10In a word?
01:11Robots.
01:12The dough is placed onto a machine that effortlessly presses the blob into a nice, even circle,
01:17guaranteeing that it's not overworked.
01:20We'll call that robot number one.
01:22After that, Costco food court workers only have to stretch the dough the littlest bit
01:26to make it fit the pan before rolling it with a dough docker.
01:29This spiky contraption helps ensure that the finished crust doesn't have those huge air
01:33bubbles.
01:34Now comes the best part, robot number two, the all-important sauce robot.
01:40The pizza pan takes a spin under a spigot that perfectly sauces every pie, dispensing
01:44just the right amount each time.
01:46It's a magical sight, and explains why every Costco pie has the same mouth-watering appearance
01:51and consistency.
01:53After that, it's back to the humans for the finishing touches, where the cheese gets weighed
01:57precisely on a scale, and the prescribed amount of pepperoni gets placed just so.
02:02Because these pizzas are cooked in only six minutes, thanks to super-efficient conveyor
02:06belt ovens that cook from all sides, you can always expect a fresh slice waiting for you
02:11at the food court window.
02:12In fact, that same supervisor confirms that any pizza slice that doesn't sell within the
02:17hour gets tossed out and replaced with a new one to maintain freshness.
02:21If there's one widespread knock on Costco pizza, it's that the slices lack crispness.
02:26But really, how can you expect a pizza that's loaded with 24 ounces of cheese to stay super-crisp?
02:32You heard that right.
02:33According to The Costco Connection, a cheese pizza from Costco contains one and a half
02:37pounds of aged buttery cheeses and 10-month-aged shredded Parmesan.
02:41A pepperoni pie, meanwhile, boasts 60 thin slices of spicy meat, and a combo weighs in
02:47at almost four and a half pounds thanks to all the sausage, pepperoni, green bell peppers,
02:52red onion, mushrooms, and black olives.
02:54A slight lack of crispness in exchange for that kind of toppings extravaganza seems like
02:59a fair trade.
03:00Wondering how all that cheese and meat stacks up when it comes to calorie count?
03:04Depending on which slice you choose, you're looking at 710 to 760 calories, with total
03:10fat hovering around 30 grams each, approximately half of your daily intake, and saturated fat
03:15content weighing in around 65 to 70 percent of your recommended daily value.
03:20But hey, you're also getting up to 40 grams of protein just for chowing down on an amazing
03:25slice of pizza, so there's that.
03:28The bottom line is that Costco pizza, in all its greasy, cheesy glory, isn't meant to be
03:33diet food.
03:34It's just meant to taste good, and it does.