Food & Drink

Yes, Costco pulled its Polish dog from the food court. But you can still get your fix

Fresno’s Rocket Dog Gourmet Brats & Brew had some fun announcing it would be offering Polish dogs on its menu, filling the void left by Costco.
Fresno’s Rocket Dog Gourmet Brats & Brew had some fun announcing it would be offering Polish dogs on its menu, filling the void left by Costco. Instagram screen capture

This week in odd brand loyalty news, the wholesale warehouse store Costco saw massive social media upheaval after news broke that the company was removing the Polish hot dog from its food court menu (and replacing it with acai bowls).

Even though the dog had already been removed from some stores and the all-beef combo version is still available, there was a backlash of angry tweets, petition campaigns (#SaveThePolishDog) and ensuing media reports. Thrillist said the decision was all for the best, really, while Forbes used it as a way to delve into the relative healthiness of Costo’s other food court choices.

And on cue, other businesses quickly stepped in to fill the void.

Sam’s Club announced in a tweet on Friday that its Polish dog will be available for 99 cents at all of its cafes starting July 23.

Fresno’s Rocket Dog Gourmet Brats & Brew was slightly more pointedly humorous in announcing the availability of Polish dogs at its locations (for a limited time, and while supplies last).

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks for fans of a certain retail giant’s polish sausage food court option. That’s why we at Rocket Dog are here to lend a shoulder to cry on — in the form of a BETTER polish sausage. Cooked on the grill (BETTER) on a fresh toasted bun (ALSO BETTER) with a cold local brew (SO MUCH BETTER) without being rammed in the backside by a loaded shopping cart (INFINITELY BETTER),” the restaurant wrote in a caption on Instagram on Saturday.

“Gently come to terms with the fact that Rocket Dog’s always been here. And always been BETTER.”

And, because we’re on the topic, Yelp has a good (well, funny at least) discussion on whether one can actually taste the difference between Costco’s Polish dog and its regular hot dog.

Joshua Tehee: 559-441-6479, @joshuatehee
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