Costco vs. Sam's Club: Who Has the Best Food Court?

The battle between Costco's vs. Sam's Club has been raging on for years. Members of each club swear by the quality and value of their respective food courts, but which one is truly the best? After personally visiting and comparing both food courts in Southern California, here is the verdict.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, both Costco and Sam's Club offer affordable options. However, Costco's food court tends to be slightly more expensive than Sam's Club Cafe. For example, Costco's hot-dog-and-soda combo costs $1.50, whereas at Sam's Club, it only costs $1.38, and the soda is 10 ounces more.

Additionally, at Costco, a twisted churro costs $1.49, while at Sam's Club it only costs $1, a third less. In the face of high inflation, Costco had to raise the prices for its chicken bakes by $1 to $3.99 and sodas by $0.10 to $0.69, but prices for the other items have stayed the same.

While Costco raised prices, Sam's Club took a different direction and lowered prices, dropping its hot-dog combo by $0.12 to $1.38 last year. While the price difference may not seem significant, the savings can add up over time if you're a frequent visitor.

Winner: Sam's Club

In terms of variety, both stores offer similar options. The type of food each food court offers also depends on region and location. Costco and Sam's Club both offer pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, and churros. However, for the locations that I visited, Sam's Club has a slight edge when it comes to variety. Sam's Club offers more ice cream options, pretzels, and ICEE options.

Sam's Club also has more pizza offerings, offering cheese, pepperoni, four-meat, and deluxe, compared to Costco's cheese and pepperoni options. Plus, Sam's Club has more soda options. Costco offers Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea, Starry, and Lemonade Tropicana. Sam's Club offers almost three times more drinks than Costco, giving thirsty shoppers more options.

Winner: Sam's Club

Taste

Taste can be subjective, but based on popular opinion, Costco tends to have better-tasting food court items than Sam's Club. Many people rave about Costco's pizza and its hot dogs are also a fan favorite. Sam's Club's food court items, while still tasty, don't seem to have the same level of hype as Costco's.

After personally trying virtually each dish, the difference in taste has become increasingly more difficult to distinguish between the two. As a devoted lover of ice cream, the additional flavors offered by Sam's Club were a remarkable advantage. On the other hand, Costco's delectable crust on its pizzas is the highlight for me and something I eagerly anticipate with each visit to the store.

As previously mentioned, each warehouse retailer possesses its own set of advantages, and taste is ultimately a matter of personal preference.

Winner: Tie

Ordering experience

Both stores have a relatively seamless ordering experience. Customers can either order from the counter or from a self-serve kiosk. However, at the particular Costco I visited, there was no self-serving kiosk. You had to wait in line, and the line was long.

Other Costcos I visited that had a self-serving kiosk were very convenient and easy to use. While the line to use the kiosk was short, there was a different story when it came to waiting for the food. Overall, the wait time was slightly shorter, but the bottleneck was caused by the staff working behind the counter.

Sam's Club offers two convenient ways to order -- in person or through its app. In place of a kiosk, you simply download the Sam's Club app, open it while in the club, select "Cafe," choose your desired items, and make your payment. Afterward, you can easily pick up your order from the Scan & Go pick-up area. I was able to easily buy what I wanted and I got my food in half the time I did at Costco.

The line at Sam's Club was not as long as Costco's, but the app allowed me to conveniently order and pay for my items. I could freely browse the store while waiting for my order. What's more, the Sam's Club Cafe was located inside the store, making it more convenient to both shop and enjoy a meal.

Another big difference is that you don't need a Sam's Club membership to enjoy the Cafe. Non-members used to be able to enjoy Costco's food court without a membership, but in 2020 Costco changed its policy so an active membership is required to enjoy Costco's food court.

Overall Winner: Sam's Club

Earn up to 5% cash back

Like many other big store chains, Sam's Club offers its own branded credit cards. You can use the Sam's Club Credit Card as a membership card as well (you still have to pay the membership fee). The Sam's Club Mastercard offers more perks than the basic cobranded card, however, especially if you have a Sam's Club Plus membership.

Sam's Club Plus members receive 3% Sam's Cash on Sam's Club purchases (regular Sam's Club members earn 1%). Members can also earn 5% Sam's Cash on gas (on first $6,000 per year, then 1% after), 3% Sam's Cash on dining, and 1% Sam's Cash on other purchases. So paying for your food court items with your card can get you even more rewards.

From my personal experience Sam's Club was the winner, which surprised me, but not by much. The changes that Sam's Club made, including the lower prices and additional food items are rather recent. I shop at Costco more than I do at Sam's Club, so I still plan on enjoying the food at Costco's food court. But when comparing both side by side, Sam's Club's Cafe outperforms Costco with its more affordable prices, greater variety, and streamlined ordering process.