Latest news with #hotdog
CBC
8 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Restaurants are getting more expensive. A Costco hotdog meal is $1.50. Should it be members only?
Social Sharing It's not easy to find an inexpensive meal these days, especially if you're feeding a family and especially if you're on the go. It could cost you $50 to get four full meals at McDonald's. A KFC family bucket meal costs around $45 before tax. Even four plain hotdogs from a road-side chip truck could cost you upwards of $30. Family packs at Swiss Chalet start at $39.99. A single burrito from Mucho Burrito is $12.45. It's tough out there. But for decades, for so many, there's been a thrifty oasis of sorts — tucked in a bulk warehouse, wrapped in foil and served with a fountain drink. The $1.50 Costco hotdog meal. Despite inflation, the price has held firm since the 1980s, and its been a popular menu item for both card-carrying Costco members and those just there for the food. So when Vancouver's downtown Costco recently posted signs announcing people will need an active membership card to purchase food from the food court, it sparked a fierce debate online about whether non-members should be able to access those cheap meals. "Everyone deserves to be able to buy a $1.50 hotdog and drink if they're broke," wrote someone on a Costco Canada subreddit. "With how expensive everything is, you could always get a cheap quality eat here. Sad for the non-members," wrote someone on X. Technically, the Costco food court has always been for members only, but the policy hasn't always been strictly enforced. Costco reportedly started cracking down on non-members accessing its food courts in 2020, and made another push last year, but still, some people find ways to get at those cheap dogs without paying the $65 membership fee. WATCH | Vancouver Costco cracking down on non-members in the food court: Love the $1.50 hotdog combo at the downtown Vancouver Costco? You'll soon need membership to buy it 2 months ago On social media, people post videos of sneaking inside, share tips on pretending to go to the pharmacy to get through the doors and describe high school kids strolling in for inexpensive lunches. Entire families have grabbed a quick dinner on their way to concerts and hockey games. Employees at the downtown Vancouver Costco recently told CBC Vancouver that this location in particular had been lax with its food court policy because of its location outside the warehouse. The Vancouver is Awesome website notes it's a popular spot for people to grab a quick bite on their way to nearby Rogers Arena or BC Place. CBC News has contacted Costco Canada for a comment and not yet heard back. When CBC Vancouver reached out to the local store in June, they were told it's their policy to require membership to buy food from the food court. 'Real challenge of people getting affordable food' Canada's annual food price report forecasted that in 2025, overall food prices would increase three to five per cent — working out to the average family of four spending $16,833.67 on food in 2025, an increase of up to $801.56 from last year. Meanwhile, a surge in operating expenses drove a 25 per cent increase in the cost of food purchased from restaurants as of December 2023, compared with December 2019, according to a 2025 Statistics Canada report. The Costco food court has always been able to keep its prices down because it was designed to get people into the store to buy other items, not as its own profit centre, said William Huggins, an assistant professor of finance and business economics at McMaster University in Hamilton. But the rising cost of food has been a challenge for it, he added, and now the financial stress in our current economy means we're seeing people going to Costco just to eat the cheap hotdogs or going to Ikea just to eat the cheap meatballs without buying anything else, he said. "Inadvertently, what happens is we've got corporations making up for deficits in our social programs," Huggins said. "It tells you how weird things have gotten. That people are like, 'Well, I'm so financially distressed I'm going to go and find the cheapest food I can. A hotdog.'" From a business point of view, if you're getting a lot more demand from people that you will never convert into customers, you start losing money, Huggins added. In that way, Costco's decision makes sense, he said. "From a bigger point of view, it goes to show you that there's a real challenge of people getting affordable food." Eating out like 'normal people' About one in four Canadians lived in a household facing food insecurity in 2024, according to the University of Toronto's Food Insecurity Policy Research Program. Meanwhile, the income gap in Canada reached a record high in the first quarter of 2025, according to Statistics Canada data released this month, with the highest-income households benefiting from investments and the lowest-income households seeing declining wages. Poverty takes a big toll on mental, physical and social health, said Elaine Power, a professor in the school of kinesiology and health studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., who researches issues related to class, food and health. "Being able to eat out once in a while like 'normal people' is an antidote to deprivation, social isolation and social exclusion," Power said. "This is important for everyone, but especially for parents who want their kids to be able to fit in and belong, like other kids." Still, $1.50 hotdog meals aren't really the answer, said Kelleen Wiseman, the academic director of the master of food resource economics program at the University of British Columbia. Stable incomes, access to healthy foods and the cost of housing are some of the core issues to address with food insecurity, she said. Wiseman also noted that most Costco stores are in areas that aren't accessible to downtown cores, other than Vancouver, which makes the option of just stopping in to eat "not all that possible." WATCH | Food prices for families on the rise: Your family grocery bill could jump by up to $800 next year 8 months ago Fast-food restaurants moving upmarket A lot of fast-food restaurants have been focusing on moving up into a differentiated product instead of lowering prices — taking steps like adding salads and rice bowls to the menu to chase higher-margin goods, said Huggins. "They've tried to move upmarket a little bit, which means we need companies to come back in and take those bottom niches of the market." That said, Costco does currently appear to have that market cornered — if you have a membership. "I don't know how they're making money on this thing," says a woman taking a bite out of a Costco hotdog in a Facebook video about how to feed a family of six for under $30. "I'm going to have a party next week. Is it crazy to ask for 20 or so $1.50 hotdogs to go from the food court?" asks someone on a Costco subreddit. "The price can't be beat and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest competitor disqualified for rules violation
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest this year came with a footnote. One of the eaters was disqualified. The women's standings shown on a graphic on the event organizer's social media site listed 'Madison Barone (DQ).'' She's not listed in the final results distributed by Major League Eating, which runs the contest. So what happened? "Ms. Barone experienced urges contrary to swallowing after the contest but before the conclusion of presentations and the awarding of places," said Sam Barclay, director of operations at Major League Eating,. "By Major League Eating rules, urges contrary to swallowing before the conclusion of the event, including presentations and the awarding of prizes, results in a DQ." 'Urges contrary to swallowing' translates to getting sick. Barone, a 24-year-old from Manville, New Jersey, did not immediately respond to an interview request sent by email. George Shea, who has served as the contest announcer since 1991, said he was unaware of any such incident taking place at the time. And he was averse to using graphic language to characterize what took place. "We will only say urges contrary to swallowing.'' Shea told USA TODAY Sports. "We never utter other words. It is like saying Voldemort." Miki Sudo won the women's competition with 33 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute contest. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nathan's hot dog contest competitor disqualified: Here's why
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/original-el-guero-canelo-brick-and-mortar-location-demolished-on-southside
After 26 years, Sonoran hot dog icon Daniel Contreras said goodbye to his original brick-and-mortar location Friday. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chicagoans chow down to celebrate National Hot Dog Day
Summertime is peak hot dog season, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs. Chicago is number four on the list of top hot dog-consuming cities — and plenty of Chicagoans were enjoying hot dogs on Wednesday, whether they knew it was National Hot Dog Day or not. Relish Hot Dogs can be found at Michigan Avenue and Jackson Drive in Grant Park, right across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago. The first item on the menu is the all-beef original Chicago hot dog — with mustard, relish, onion, tomato, a pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt — on a poppyseed bun of course. "Ketchup available on request," the menu says. But to many Chicagoans, adding ketchup to a Chicago hot dog is less appealing than a sardine sundae. Every order at Relish Hot Dogs counted as a celebration this National Hot Dog Day. It is a day Relish Hot Dogs owner Michelle Olszanski… relishes. "It is a holy holiday here in Chicago, because we do have the best hot dogs around," she said. The Godfreys from Minneapolis were enjoying Chicago hot dogs for the first time. It may soon become a tradition. "It's like a crunchy hot dog, 'cause it has like all like the pickles," said Evy Godfrey, 10. "Three bites and it's gone," said Auggie Godfrey, 15. "Yeah, I'm trying to savor it," said Vilu Godfrey, 12. But for exchange student François Delestrade of the Toulouse area in France, setting aside an entire day to honor hot dogs is a bit of a foreign concept. "Yeah, it's good, but I prefer French gastronomy," Delestrade said. Well, who wouldn't like French gastronomy? But in Chicago, one must indulge. And let's be honest — National Hot Dog Day is a holiday Chicago can celebrate any day.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Study shows Yankees hot dogs are much cheaper than Mets
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — A new study conducted at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums indicates Yankees fans have a leg up on the Mets faithful in the hot dog department. A study conducted by FlashPicks, released ahead of National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday, reveals a significant price gap between hot dogs at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. More Local News The Mets rank third on the list for the most expensive weiner at $7.19, while the Yankees are 29th in the league at $3.08, just behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the cheapest in MLB. According to the study, the average price for a hot dog at MLB stadiums is $5.47. The data was collected using Statista and verified throughout the 2024 MLB season. A study on beer prices by the same company indicates the Yankees edge out the Mets by over a dollar, at $6.17 and $7.71, respectively. Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
