Why Costco's Discontinued Carne Asada Bake Was A Total Flop
It seems like every Costco member has their go-to food court order. After all, what's a trip to Costco without a stop at the inexpensive yet incredibly delicious members-only food court? Some prefer the $1.50 hot dog and drink combo that has been around since the food court's conception back in 1984. Others may opt for a slice of pizza, a swirl of frozen yogurt, or something a bit more filling like the piping hot chicken bake. Costco's iconic chicken bake is a fan favorite at Costco food courts; At $3.99, the extra-long pocket of crusty bread serves up a unique blend of chicken, cheese, bacon, and subtle notes of Caesar dressing that has kept members fed and happy for years. The simplistic design of the calzone-like food seems as though it would lend itself well to many different cuisines. Unfortunately, Costco knows from experience that not everything tastes better in "bake" form.
The carne asada bake made its debut at Costco food courts back in 2010 and only lasted a little over a year before the company decided to axe it. While it is unclear exactly why the carne asada bake was removed from menus nationwide, fan responses may have had something to do with it.
Not many fans are clamoring for the Carne Asada bake's return
Costco's food courts are known for their low prices, high quality, and reliable inventory. But not every newbie on the menu is promised a permanent spot. The carne asada bake only lasted for a few years after it was met with some pretty harsh critiques from members.
The zesty menu item looked similar to chicken bakes from the exterior, while the inside was reported to have been filled with "carne asada, pico de gallo, guacamole, and melted cheese," (Via Costco Insider). According to one user on Reddit, "[...] it wasn't that good. It didn't have real guacamole, it was a sour green sauce, combined with the tough bits of chewy steak, made it pretty unappetizing." Others claimed it was way too greasy and had an unpleasant texture from the heated guacamole that sat in a pocket with the other ingredients. While it is not confirmed that the item was discontinued due to fan response, it's easy to infer that members weren't too sad to see the carne asada bake go.
Menu items at Costco food courts haven't always gone away forever. The original chicken bakes were once removed from menus briefly back in 2020 due to inventory issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately for the few who enjoyed the menu item's cousin filled with seasoned beef, it doesn't seem likely that the carne asada bake will also be making a return.
Not all of Costco's retired food court items were total fails
If a certain product isn't doing so well at Costco's food court or it becomes more trouble than it's worth to keep offering it to customers, the menu item gets the boot. But not every item has been abandoned due to adverse fan reactions. The company does not often deviate from the normal, reliable menu, so when an item goes missing, fans have some seriously strong reactions. Items like the chicken Caesar salad, Polish dog, hot turkey, and provolone sandwich are all sorely missed amongst regular Costco food court customers.
More recently, Costco has rid themselves of the ever-popular churros and replaced them with huge chocolate chip cookies at the food court. No offense to the chocolatey baked good, but members were not happy when the twisted cinnamon-sugar treat was discontinued. Another recent loss that members are still mourning is the combo slice of Kirkland pizza that was retired in 2020. While the company never confirmed exactly why the fan-favorite slice is no longer offered, most food distributors rotate inventory when certain menu items aren't selling or are too costly to provide. It's possible that the combo slice offering members so many fresh toppings was more pricey to keep in stock than Costco was willing to pay. After years of massive fan backlash, rumors on Reddit teased that Costco was releasing a combo Take-and-Bake pizza, but these claims have yet to be substantiated as of this article's publication.