Costco hot dog combo survives 40 years unchanged — until now
Apr 28, 2026, 3:52 PM
Costco has quietly altered its beloved $1.50 hot dog combo deal for the first time in 40 years.
Although the cost of the deal remains unchanged, the Issaquah-based wholesale giant has added an extra drink option for customers.
Instead of the usual 20-ounce refillable fountain soda, customers can now choose a 16.9-ounce bottle of Kirkland Signature water to quench their thirst.
It remains unclear when the new option will be available across all 643 warehouse locations in the United States, but shoppers in California, Nevada, and Virginia have already seen the revised deal popping up at checkout.
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New Costco CEO stands firm on price of hot dog combo
One of the driving factors behind the shared love for Costco’s food court menu items has been the company’s ability to maintain its low price of the hot dog combo amid years of inflation and rising food costs.
Famously, the founder of Costco, Jim Sinegal, told the former CEO Craig Jelinek that if the price of the hot dog was raised, he would kill him. Since then, the price has remained unchanged.
“I came to (Sinegal) once, and I said, ‘Jim, we can’t sell this hot dog for a buck fifty. We are losing our rear ends,'” Jelinek said in 2018. “And he said, ‘If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.'”
Since then, Ron Vachris has taken over as Costco’s third CEO, having worked his way up from a forklift driver at Price Club, which merged with Costco in 1993.
Costco members across the nation can breathe a sigh of relief as Vachris reaffirmed his goal to keep the price of the hot dog combo unchanged last month with a social media post tapping into the viral taste-test trend among other fast food CEOs.
Vachris grabbed the iconic $1.50 hot dog and soda combo and scarfed it down on camera inside one of Costco’s many food courts.
“$1.50? For this hot dog?” Vachris said with a Costco hot dog in hand. “The hot dog price will not change as long as I’m around.”
Costco’s social media post included a cherry on top (or ketchup and mustard) in the video’s caption, stating, “When you run the company but you still know the best lunch in town only costs $1.50.”
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