You Can Thank Robots for Your Perfect Costco Food Court Pizza

It's hard not to get hungry when shopping at Costco. Not only might you be tempted by the store's delicious bakery offerings, but just walking through one of those massive warehouse club stores is enough to burn some calories and work up an appetite.

Thankfully, Costco stores feature a food court when you can score a variety of quick meals without racking up a giant credit card tab in the process. Perhaps the most iconic food court offering is the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo -- a deal whose price has stayed the same for many years. But another popular item you'll find at the Costco food court is pizza. And once you try it, you may find yourself going back for more.

To be clear, if you're a pizza connoisseur, and you live in a big "pizza town" like New York or Chicago, you may not be totally enamored with Costco pizza. But if you're someone who enjoys pizza in general and isn't overly picky about it, you may find Costco's version to be quite tasty.

But there's a reason Costco is able to serve up its consistently yummy pizza across its numerous warehouse club stores. The retail giant has found a way to automate the pizza-making process so that customers get to enjoy the same great bite no matter where they're doing their shopping.

It's all about the robots

If you visit your local pizza store, you may find that your meal is made by hand. But Costco's process is far more automated.

First, it involves loading dough onto a flattening machine that presses it down and spreads it. Then, a robot applies sauce in a uniform pattern to ensure that each base of pizza dough is thoroughly and evenly covered.

From there, actual people do get involved. Costco employees weigh out a preset amount of cheese and then place the pies in a super-efficient oven that allows them to bake in just six minutes. The result? A warm, delectable cheesy bite in every food court.

An affordable option

Costco prices can vary by location, but for the most part, a slice of pizza at the food court will cost you $1.99, while a giant pie will cost you $9.99. And if you're throwing a party and want multiple pies, that's no problem. Costco will generally let you place an order with its food court ahead of time so you can stop by, scoop up your pies, and head on your merry way, all the while saving money.

Of course, some people will tell you that Costco's pizza is too doughy, chewy, or cheesy. But if you're the sort of pizza eater who thinks these are good problems to have, then you may want to pick up a slice the next time you find your stomach rumbling in the middle of a Costco run. And while you're at it, you may want to bring a pie home for dinner and save your Costco groceries for the next day's meals.