What Costco's CEO Had To Say When He Reviewed The Food Court Hot Dog

Anyone who shops regularly likely knows about Costco's food court, even if they're not a member of the warehouse chain. The chicken bake and pizza slices are among the most popular items to order, but the most famous may very well be the $1.50 hot dog combo. Costco sold more than 245 million of them in 2025 alone. 

Not surprisingly, Costco's CEO, Ron Vachris, is a big fan of the combo. That much was clear when he tried the dog in a video posted to the company's Instagram. He's apparently a man of simplicity, ordering a plain dog with no mustard, ketchup, onions — nothing. "$1.50 for this hot dog?" he laughs, before delivering his verdict: "Amazing." The off-camera interviewer asks whether the combo price will ever go up. Vachris answers, "The hot dog price will not change as long as I'm around." He closes the short video by praising the hot dog's quality and value. "That's $1.50 well spent," Vachris concludes.

Customers were likely excited to hear the Costco CEO confirm that the combo price isn't going anywhere as long as he's there. Membership fees have gone up in recent years, and Costco has raised the price of its chicken bake by a dollar since 2022. Considering all of that, plus higher food prices across the board over the last few years, it wouldn't be that outrageous if Costco raised the hot dog price, if only slightly. After all, adjusting for inflation, this combo should cost closer to $4.50 today. But, for now — as long as Vachris is in charge — it appears to be staying as is.

Costco has fought hard to keep the hot dog combo at $1.50, and amazingly, the price hasn't changed since it was introduced in the 1980s. One easy way to keep costs low was to begin making the hot dogs in-house, and that's exactly what the warehouse chain did. In 2009, Costco switched from the Hebrew National brand (very good in its own right) to its own Kirkland Signature brand — made at its own meat processing facilities.

The Kirkland dogs aren't kosher, but they are great quality. Each weighs more than a quarter pound and is made with 100% USDA-inspected beef, minus additives, fillers, corn syrup, or artificial colors or flavors. The widely popular food media personality Babish — with 11 million followers across his YouTube channels — reviewed 19 different hot dog brands, and Costco's Kirkland Brand was the only one that received a perfect 10. In his YouTube review, he said the brand was "far and away the most unbelievable value. These rightfully deserved a 10."

Like any other grocery store chain that makes in-house food items, Costco isn't always perfect. But thankfully, the bulk retailer has stubbornly refused to raise the price of its hot dog combo — even at a loss. So, let's hope we can believe CEO Ron Vachris when he says this famous combo's price isn't going anywhere.