The food court might be one of the most beloved parts of a Costco trip. From the $1.50 hot dog combo to the whole pepperoni pizzas, the food is fresh, hot, and inexpensive.
Recently, rumors were swirling that there was going to be a big change coming to the beverage fountain in Costco cafes. Turns out, those “insider” accounts and websites were correct: Costco is switching from Pepsi to Coke. Here’s what we know about the change.
What’s Happening to Costco’s Soda Fountain?
For weeks now, Costco Insider and an anonymous source on the Costco Reddit forum have claimed that the soda fountains in Costco’s cafes are going to switch from Pepsi products to Coca-Cola products, and it’s proven to be true.
That means you’ll have drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite to choose from instead of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Starry.
Didn’t Costco Cafes Have Coke Products Before?
Yep! You’re not crazy if you remember getting Coke in the Costco food court before. If you shopped there before 2013, you had Coca-Cola products to choose from.
The store switched to Pepsi after Coke refused to give Costco as good a deal as the company supposedly gave Walmart. And for about a month, Costco stopped carrying ANY Coke products, not just in the food court.
Has Costco Confirmed Anything?
Yes! During a Costco annual shareholder meeting earlier this week, Costco CEO Ron Vachris confirmed that the soda fountains in the cafe would soon be dispensing Coke instead of Pepsi, according to Business Insider.
It happened during the question and answer portion of the meeting, when someone asked specifically if Vachris could confirm the rumors.
When is the Switch Happening?
According to Vachris, you’ll have to wait a little while before you’ll be sipping on a Diet Coke during your Costco trip. “This summer, we will be converting our food court fountain business back over to Coca-Cola,” he said.
So while we don’t know exactly when it’ll happen yet, you can figure that the switch will happen before the end of August.
How Do People Feel About the Switch to Coke?
There’s not a lot of love lost for Pepsi, honestly. Most Redditors seem excited about the potential switch. “Coke and Sprite lovers rejoice!” said u/Seefutjay. There’s also a large contingent of people who want Dr Pepper, though that’s unlikely given it’s not owned by Coca-Cola.
There’s also plenty of people that don’t really care, of course. “I could deal with it if they were kept calibrated,” said u/FalconFrenulum. “Every time I go it’s too syrupy or light to the point it tastes like water.”
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