It isn’t every day that Costco adds a new option to its beloved food court menu, so those rare changes tend to generate a lot of fanfare when they do take place. For example, shoppers at the members-only warehouse club were ecstatic last month when Costco brought back the highly-requested diced onion topping and then the popular retired chicken caesar salad in a span of a couple of weeks. However, another new Costco food court item that has been rolling out to warehouses in the United States is being met with a much less positive reception.
This new food court addition is a mango smoothie, which is already available at Costco locations in Hawaii but hasn’t been available at mainland warehouses until now. Over the last few weeks, shoppers have reported spotting the new smoothie option in California, Washington, and Oklahoma, though it’s unclear exactly how many Costco locations are currently offering the item.
Mango smoothies arrived at the Lakewood, CA Costco
by u/MisterPolyamory in Costco
While some Costco shoppers seem to be fans of the mango smoothie, a growing group of other customers who’ve tried it say that the flavor leaves a lot to be desired.
“The mango smoothie is kinda gross. I just had one of these and it was not good. It was giving me some type of weird flavor besides mango that I couldn’t put my finger on,” one member wrote in a Reddit post this week. “Did I just get a bad mango batch or what?”
Other customers quickly agreed that the flavor of the smoothie was a bit off-putting.
“When we tried one it tasted like overripe mushed-up mangos, not good at all,” one shopper wrote.
Another conceded that while the smoothie wasn’t “terrible,” it did have an “off flavor.”
Members have aired similar complaints about the food court item in separate Reddit posts this week as well. One shopper reported that it tasted “a little weird” and compared it to “mango baby food.” Others also noted that the smoothie tasted like mangos that were a little past their prime.
“My husband and I both tried it and didn’t like it. I’m not a huge fan of mango but it tasted like mushed-up overripe fruit to me,” a shopper commented on a Reddit thread.
The actual reason for these reported flavor issues is unclear, but one member speculated that the smoothie tasted like overripe fruit because Costco was using overripe fruit in the food court item. Whatever the cause, these complaints indicate that the mango smoothie may have trouble achieving the icon status of more popular Costco food court offerings like the pizza or $1.50 hotdog combo.
Another Costco food court item that debuted earlier this year–a roast beef sandwich–was also surrounded by customer backlash, but for a very different reason. Customers were shocked and outraged that Costco was charging $10 for a single sandwich, especially when most other food court items are much more affordable.
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Zoe Strozewski
