The Best Way To Order A Costco Food Court Hot Dog To Enjoy It On The Go

Costco's iconic $1.50 hot dog and drink combo is the food court's most popular item, and Costco food court fans love that the price has remained unchanged for decades. What's more, the hot dog has gotten better and bigger, something that's the opposite of most food outlets, with fast food prices around the world sharply rising. 

However, while other Costco food court staples like the pizza or the rotisserie chicken come packaged and ready to take away, and there's a neat cardboard box hack for carrying large food court orders, things with the hot dog aren't that simple. Sure, you get a paper bag to wrap the sandwich in, but this completely disregards the condiments. If you add them on and then pack the hot dog, you will likely unwrap a splattered mess. Plus, if you layer all the condiments, they get mashed together when the hot dog is packed, and it just isn't the same as having separate layers of ketchup and mustard.

While Costco outlets started using condiment packets in favor of dispensers during the COVID-19 pandemic, some outlets have now returned to the dispensers of ketchup, mustard, and relish. One might think the packets are a better option if you plan on taking your hot dog with you instead of eating it in the food court, and if you're taking the hot dog home, they are. However, if you want to enjoy it on the go, one TikTok has the solution: disposable cups. Simply ask for them when picking up your hot dog, and add a squirt of condiment in each. Now you have a fresh, un-messy hot dog that you can dip into your condiment of choice on the go!

The disposable cup hack is simple and effective if done right, but can get messy if employed carelessly. For one, only put a small amount of each condiment in the cup, keeping most of it empty, to ensure it doesn't spill. Unless you like your sandwich completely doused in ketchup and mustard, that's still enough for an entire dog, especially if you're using two cups. Plus, because the condiments are thick, when you keep them limited to just about an inch in the cup, even if the unthinkable happens and the cup tips over, most of the condiment will likely not fall out. Spillage is a real danger here, especially if you're using the hack in a car.

One simple way to mitigate a potential mess is to not take separate cups for each condiment. Three open cups of condiments plus the bag your hot dog is packed in can become quite the handful. Instead, consider mixing ketchup and mustard in one cup and relish in the second. Of course, if you don't mind the condiments all blending together, you can simply add all three in the same cup, making things even more convenient.

Finally, you can even use the cups to rest the hot dog once you're halfway through eating. While stuffing the entire hot dog in the cup will cause it to topple, a half can be simply popped into the cup till the bun is snug against the cup's surface, and you can put your hot dog down and, if you want, top it with sauce from the other cup.

Considering hot dogs are essentially designed to be portable snacks, it's worth knowing a few different ways to munch on them while on the go. Of course, if you pick them up from a NYC-style hot dog cart and want to walk around eating one, there's nothing to it — simply add your condiments of choice and be on your way with this one-handed snack. However, if you want to pack it without juggling cups of ketchup and mustard, consider putting the condiments under the sausage. This way, the sauces and relish are sandwiched (pun intended) between the dog and bun, reducing the chances of unwrapping a messy hot dog when you want to eat it. It also makes for a neater bite, since you won't get sauces all over your mouth. The caveat is that the bun may get soggy from the sauces, so don't have it packed for too long.

Another portable hot dog hack is a Costco food court classic, but it significantly changes the format of the hot dog. Simply get a slice of Costco pizza, place the sausage parallel to the pizza crust, and roll the slice with the hot dog inside to make a hot dog pizza wrap. It's best to do this with a cheese pizza, because more toppings could get messy and start to leak out. The sausage, cheese, and pizza sauce combination is delicious, and the crust does the job of the bun. Add some dollops of mustard on the slice before rolling the sausage for a flavor combination more reminiscent of the hot dog.