- 3 hours ago
Craving a quick bite while you shop? We've rounded up some of the most beloved and iconic food-court favorites found in popular retailers like Costco, IKEA, Sam’s Club, and more. From hearty hot dogs and indulgent cinnamon buns to unique pizza pretzels and refreshing slushies, these treats prove that retail food courts can be a surprisingly tasty destination. Get ready to feast on these crowd-pleasers!
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00:00People love the food at Costco.
00:02I gotta go there today and I'm gonna get a dog, I don't mind telling you.
00:05Sometimes people go there just for their food.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best and most iconic food and drink
00:14items sold at retailers with a dedicated food service area, excluding malls.
00:19You ever just have that moment where you're craving the triple berry sundae from the cafe, but there's nothing you
00:24can do about it?
00:25Oh, you're in for a treat.
00:28Number 10, Pizza, Costco.
00:31There's something nice about the simplicity of capping off a Costco run with a slice of pizza.
00:35When I order a whole pizza, I ask for plates, but it's all for me.
00:39When do you do that?
00:40Every time.
00:41Whether you get pepperoni or plain, or apparently you can get seafood toppings if you're at a Costco in Asia,
00:47this is a solid slice.
00:49It's doughy crust, tasty cheese blend, and nice ratio of ingredients help it exceed the expectations of a retailer food
00:55court pizza.
00:56Add in the fact that it's just two bucks a slice, and you got yourself an enjoyable, budget-friendly lunch.
01:01Hot dogs and slices of pizza start at just $1.50.
01:05Memberships start at $60.
01:07Perhaps Costco's food court is even better known for a few other items, but do not sleep on the pizza.
01:12You will be required to prove that you actually have an active membership to get in.
01:18Some people are going to spend a lot of money just to go in there for that good old pizza.
01:22Number 9, Soft Pretzel, Various Stores.
01:25Okay, you're out shopping, you stop by the food court, and you smell those pretzels.
01:29If you are looking for the best, Sean Gigi may have found it in this morning's Up in 60.
01:33It doesn't get much more classic than this.
01:35The soft pretzel is a snack that you can find in many places, and that of course includes food courts.
01:41Ben's Soft Pretzels will open in the downtown restaurant.
01:44The South Bend Tribune's Lincoln Wright says it will be ready to go by April 26th, which just so happens
01:49to be National Pretzel Day.
01:51Buttery, salty, soft, and chewy, it's the perfect thing to hold you over till your next meal while you're out
01:56shopping.
01:57In terms of pretzels at retailer food areas excluding malls, you might think of super pretzel machines.
02:02But even the beloved Annie Ann's pretzels qualify for this list, as they are not exclusively in malls, which most
02:09of us associate them with.
02:10No matter the brand, though, the soft pretzel is a great food court item because it's rare to get a
02:15bad one.
02:15Can I have a super pretzel, please?
02:18Make every moment super.
02:20Enjoy.
02:21Number 8, Pizza Pretzel, Sam's Club.
02:24You know what my favorite thing about lunch at Sam's Club is?
02:29It's the pizza pretzel.
02:31We have to give bonus points for uniqueness and flair, and that's what the Sam's Club pizza pretzel brings.
02:37Like, come on, it's a pizza pretzel.
02:39How uncommon is that?
02:41Sure, at plenty of food courts, you can get a pizza, a pretzel, or perhaps one of each if you
02:45so please.
02:46But this Sam's Club food court item conjoins the two.
02:49The flavor of the sauce and the cheese is the same flavor of a pizza, but the bread is a
02:54little bit more like gum, like all of the pretzels.
02:57It's a pretzel with melted cheese, pepperoni, and a side of marinara sauce.
03:01The item is served hot and is a sizable portion, and don't get it twisted.
03:05It's an absolute bargain at just $1.98.
03:08And Sam's Club is going up from 50 to 60 bucks a year on May 1st, but drivers say it's
03:14worth it.
03:15Number 7, Cinnamon Buns, IKEA.
03:17They call it kanelbullet in Sweden.
03:19The cinnamon roll is an iconic pastry that originated in Europe.
03:22It's believed that the modern version was invented in Sweden.
03:25Swedish cinnamon buns, or cinnamon rolls, or as we say in Sweden, kanelbullet.
03:31Whether or not that's the case, the cinnamon bun is closely tied to the Scandinavian country's food culture.
03:36Is this a sweet treat?
03:38Because it looks like a sweet treat.
03:40And so, it certainly feels right that IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, offers these sweet, tasty treats at their famous
03:47food courts.
03:48With its drizzle of icing on top, it's going to be hard to say no to this delicious pastry once
03:53you lay eyes on it.
03:54It smells like a sweet treat, so I'm going to try it and just see if it is a sweet
03:58treat.
04:01It is. I knew it. It was a sweet treat the whole time.
04:04Number 6, Chicken Bake, Costco.
04:06Social media sure has helped the word spread about this large food court item, and it's come to have a
04:12huge cult following.
04:13The Chicken Bake is synonymous with Costco.
04:15It's a go-to before a game at Rogers Arena, or when you just need a cheap meal.
04:20But soon, not just anyone will be able to get a bite to eat at the downtown Vancouver Costco food
04:25court.
04:26You could argue it has relatives in the Stromboli and Hot Pocket, but the Chicken Bake is very much its
04:31own thing.
04:31It's a long piece of baked dough filled with diced chicken, mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, bacon, and caesar dressing.
04:38It is a pizza crust filled with chicken breast strips, mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheeses, smoky bacon, creamy caesar dressing,
04:49and green onions in a hand-rolled crust.
04:51You're not going to have to worry about still being hungry after eating this thing.
04:55The big portion size makes it enough for two people. That is, if you want to share.
04:59It gets pretty busy. You can wait like 20-30 minutes just for your order, so I can see why
05:04they want to control that.
05:05I think it's going to be easier for me to get food, or it's going to be faster. It's going
05:09to be less cloudy over there.
05:10Number 5. Berry Sunday. Sam's Club.
05:13A Sunday can obviously be a lovely indulgence on a hot day. In fact, it's a delightful treat any time
05:19of year.
05:19Add as many frozen berries as your heart desires. I think we went a little overboard here.
05:24And that is how you can make your own triple berry Sunday at home when desperate times call.
05:29It's no different at Sam's Club. The innovation and creativity of one of the chain's sundaes in particular make it
05:35stand out.
05:35That's the berry sundae, or as some call it, the four-berry sundae.
05:39It's that combination of four berries that makes this treat feel as close to a gourmet dessert as you can
05:45get as far as retail food courts go.
05:47The berry sundae consists of vanilla frozen yogurt and a berry sauce of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
05:53So if you like berries, you won't be disappointed.
05:56I like it a lot.
06:00Number 4. Icy Slash Slushy. Various Stores.
06:03I want blue. I want red. I want yellow.
06:09Sound familiar?
06:10Few items have had this level of iconic food court aura.
06:13The slushy is the ultimate frozen beverage.
06:15You can sip it, you can spoon it, it's the Icy Surprise.
06:19There's Coca-Cola, orange, dry, spring, or lime.
06:22And in many cases, the brand you'll find at the food court is Icy.
06:26Kids' eyes, and let's be real, adults' eyes, might very well light up at the side of this, particularly on
06:31a hot summer day.
06:32Whether it's a soda variation like Coke or Fanta, or a fruit flavor like blue raspberry or cherry, there are
06:38slushies for various taste buds.
06:40But many will tell you that nixing is the way to go, and that Sweet Tooth will thank you.
06:44A lot of companies don't survive all the things that we've survived, and then grown.
06:50It's a product that people know and love, and we've been very fortunate to be a part of it.
06:55Number 3. Popcorn. Target.
06:57While it's not nearly as widely available as it once was, Target popcorn is still out there at some locations.
07:03Since the late 2010s, its availability has dwindled, though, causing many customers to hope that popcorn returns as a staple
07:10to their local Target.
07:11We've got deals that will make your day.
07:13Come on down to your local Target and stock up on everything right here for it.
07:18Sharon!
07:19That's because it's quite good.
07:20It's a great grab-and-go snack to munch on while you're shopping.
07:23Part of the lasting impression is the Target-branded bag or box that popcorn comes in.
07:27For many of us, it's nostalgic.
07:29Though, if you find the right store, you can still taste the nostalgia.
07:32It's a very clean, very clean store. Prices are reasonable.
07:38Number 2. Swedish Meatballs. IKEA.
07:40If you know, you know.
07:42On your way to IKEA, it's expected that you're not just thinking of that piece of furniture, but also those
07:46iconic Swedish meatballs.
07:48It's convenient, it's Swedish, and pretty much for everybody.
07:52And it's still served in all the restaurants in the IKEA stores in the world, joined by a whole family
07:58of different kinds of meatballs.
07:59For some, that's probably the first thing that comes to mind when they're thinking of IKEA.
08:04Meatballs from a furniture store.
08:06Mmm, who would have thought?
08:07But the franchise has also become well-known for its restaurants, and the crown jewel in those restaurants is, of
08:13course, the Swedish Meatball.
08:14What takes these things to another level is the gravy they're served in.
08:18Made with ground beef, pork, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, whole milk, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and olive oil, IKEA's
08:26Swedish meatballs are restaurant quality with a home comfort food feel.
08:30That is a winning combination.
08:33This is good.
08:34It took almost a year of hard work until the restaurants could start serving the IKEA version of the Swedish
08:40meatball.
08:41Number 1.
08:42Hot Dog.
08:43Costco.
08:44How could we not place the hot dog at number 1?
08:46A hot dog is a classic food court item, and no retailer food court does it better than Costco.
08:51There are no plans to raise that price.
08:54The beloved $1.50 hot dog soda combo has cost the same since 1985.
09:00There's a reason the Costco hot dog has such a substantial cult following.
09:04In addition to the fresh quality meat and roll, the value is extremely hard to beat.
09:08The combo of the quarter pound glizzy plus a 20-ounce soda famously costs just $1.50.
09:13The hot dog price will not change as long as I'm around.
09:19Amazing.
09:19Amazing quality, amazing value.
09:24That's $1.50 well spent.
09:25If you're a really big fan, you may even have a Costco hot dog shirt.
09:30There are dozens of shirt options online.
09:32One individual even told CNBC about the great success he's had selling them.
09:36That's just further proof of the Costco hot dog being firmly ingrained in retailer food court lore.
09:42There was one time where I went through a phase where I was eating a Costco hot dog every day
09:46for a month.
09:47Which of these retailer food court items is your favorite?
09:50Let us know in the comments.
09:51My name is Chrisş.
09:52Your response depends...
09:57My name's Chris.
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