The changes at Costco continue, this time in the food court. Don’t panic, nothing’s happening to the $1.50 hot dogs.
Instead, the popular warehouse retail giant is switching the drinks at the food court from Pepsi to Coke.
Customers started seeing the familiar red and white logo in the courts at the beginning of July, The Coca-Cola Company said in a statement to Fox Business. All of Costco’s food courts are expected to offer Coca-Cola products by the fall, the company said. Costco CEO Ron Vachris announced the change during the company’s shareholder meeting on January 23.
Costco Canada, meanwhile, announced in a social media post that “Coca-Cola has officially joined the drink lineup at Costco food courts across Canada.”
Costco previously featured Coke products in its food courts but switched to Pepsi in 2013 to maintain the price of its tentpole $1.50 hot dog combo, according to CNN.
More changes to Costco opening hours, gas hours
This is only the latest change. In June, Costco started opening its doors an hour earlier for its upper-tier members and staying open an extra hour on Saturdays for all members, closing at 7 p.m.
Costco also recently expanded its gas station hours for all members to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sundays. The move led to record fuel sales, Fox Business reported.
Where is Costco opening new locations in Florida?
Costco announced plans in March to open 25-30 new locations every year, typically with half of them in the U.S. and the other half in international markets. Seven new locations opening in August openings include new stores in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Quebec, Ontario, and Mexico.
One new Costo opened in Stuart in April to about 1,000 people waiting outside.
The next new Florida location will be in The Villages in August, opening Aug. 6 at the Buffalo Ridge Shopping Plaza on County Road 466. The doors will open at 8 a.m. to welcome shoppers, a Costco spokesperson told The Daily Commercial.
The Villages Costco will launch with membership incentives for new members signing up for the first time or for lapsed members with expired memberships of at least 18 months. The offer will be on the website before opening, although a time frame has not been announced.
Elsewhere around the state, another new Costco is reportedly coming to Sanford, and talks are in the works for more potential spots, including Port St. Lucie, Pensacola and Miami.
Where can I find a Costco near me in Florida?
As of July 22, there are 35 Costco locations in Florida. You can see the list here.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Pepsi is out. Costco bringing back Coca-Cola to Florida food courts. What about the hot dogs?
Reporting by C. A. Bridges and Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
