Another change is coming to the some Costco food courts. No, it’s not time to swap out ice cream sundae flavors. This time, some Illinois-based Costcos are changing up their main meal menu. While the $1.50 hot dog/drink combo is still in it for the long haul, it may be time to say arrivederci to the calzone. Costco’s calzone is stuffed with cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage, and veggies. It was first introduced in 2025 as a replacement to their combo pizza, which basically had the same ingredients as pizza toppings. I write this next light-hearted sentence as an Italian American: some Costcos are replacing their most Italian offering with their most boring American option: chicken strips. The strips will cost $6.99, which is the same amount as the calzone.
It’s a sad fact of life that, in most cases, Costco’s food courts only seem to have room for a handful of meals. With that being said, the introduction of one dish tends to mean to the disappearance of another, with Costco recently swapping out its best-selling calzone in favor of their new $6.99 food court Chicken Strips.
According to multiple food bloggers on Instagram, Costco has begun testing out their new Chicken Strips in select food courts within the country. Many of these locations were specifically rooted in Chicago and Illinois, marking the first in what might very well be numerous states interested in adopting the chicken meal as their next food court item.
As the name might imply, Costco’s Chicken Strips features an order of five fried chicken breast strips accompanied by a tangy side sauce. Since its original introduction in Canada, the item has been gaining continued traction among American Costco shoppers, many of whom were quick to voice their excitement about the new dish on social media.
“Chicken Strips are my go-to!” wrote one user on Instagram. “I’m so excited for this!”
“Time to go to Chicago,” wrote another fan, referencing the product’s current availability in the Midwest.
As of yet, it’s not exactly clear if or when the Chicken Strips will make their way to nationwide Costco locations. However, as the item continues to go viral on social media, it’s safe to assume Costco will adopt the new meal nationally within the coming weeks ahead.
Unfortunately, that does mean that most Costco locations that might adopt the Chicken Strips will bid farewell to the food court’s popular Calzone. Initially introduced in mid 2025, the Calzone acted as an overstuffed replacement for Costco’s discontinued Combo Pizza, with the food court item featuring a generous amount of cheese, veggies, pepperoni and Italian sausage.
When I showed Mr. Rosie this news, I joked about chicken strips replacing a calzone as being sooo American. His actual response was, ”OMG, game changer!” I asked him why, and he said, ”Because while I love the Costco hot dog, I prefer chicken strips in general.” He then paused and admitted that he isn’t a huge hot dog fan anymore, but if he was going to eat one, it was going to be Costco’s delicious, cheap hot dog. (I agree!)
As for the change, at the end of the day, Costco is a business that is trying to stay afloat amongst the president’s terrible economic decisions, like tariffs and starting a new forever war. Trump’s war in Iran has raised Costco gas prices in my area from $2.28 to $3.86, which really adds up. From a business POV, I wonder if Costco is considering replacing the calzone with chicken strips because it is more cost-effective. If that is the case, then I will gladly sacrifice the calzone if it means keeping all of their other costs down.
Photos credit: Mikey Around Chicago on TikTok, Costco Hot Finds on Instagram