The Popular Costco Kirkland Signature Breakfast Item That Almost Didn't Get Made

When one muses on life's might-have-beens, imaginations tend to drift toward matters of the heart and other wistful twists of fate. Not breakfast sandwiches. But Costco CEO Ron Vachris might see things differently. He told The Wall Street Journal in a 2025 video interview that he initially passed on the warehouse store's iconic Kirkland Signature bacon, egg and cheese. Vachris has the final word on whether any Kirkland item makes it to Costco's shelves, he said. His dismissals are infrequent, but the BEC was among the few foodstuffs that were nearly not to be. Vachris felt that the frozen good's quantity of bacon was just too skimpy to bear the warehouse's signature name.

Vachris initially felt that Costco's private label bacon, egg, and cheese failed to surpass a national competitor's to a meaningful enough degree, he told the Journal. Only when the amount of meat was increased, he said, did he approve the breakfast sandwich beloved by so many today. "Lo and behold the buyer was able to go back, partner with the supplier, [and] we were able to put 40% more protein in the item, maintain our price, and now the item is doing great," Vachris noted, detailing a little look at how the sausage, or BEC, as it were, really gets made.

Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwiches come eight to a pack to keep in your freezer for whenever the desire for applewood smoked bacon, eggs, and cheddar cheese on a somewhat croissant-like bun creeps in. And some buyers have been so satisfied that they've posted their odes to the air fryer and microwave-friendly meals on in the review section on Costco's website. One such scribe called it the "best breakfast sandwich EVER" and even sang its praises specifically compared to a smattering of other brands, Vachris might be pleased to see.

Of course, few products are without their detractors, and some shoppers have claimed that the Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwiches that they once knew have gone downhill. Some of those folks cite shrinkflation, the phenomenon in which an item gets smaller while still selling for the same price, among their complaints. Back on the bright side, the Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwich beat out five other fast breakers in our ranking of the best frozen Costco breakfast items. We appreciated the hefty portion of bacon that Vachris fought for, plus the sandwich's croissant-style carb, and the quickness with which it all heats up. You just might want to be prepared to warm a second one, too, to stave off any potential miniaturization.