Whatever Happened To Costco's Hot Turkey And Provolone Sandwich

Costco's food court items can be hit or miss. It's not unusual for customers to slam its sloppy rotisserie chicken salad while praising its chocolate chunk cookie. In this case, Costco's hot turkey and provolone sandwich was a huge hit that had fans looking forward to a blissful after-shopping splurge every time. That was until the pandemic, when it was discontinued.

The pressures of the pandemic may have wiped out Costco's fan-favorite sandwich, but the fact that it never made it back raises questions. Was the sandwich unpopular, too expensive, or begging to be upgraded? The answers are no, no, and definitely no — especially given the terrible backlash its initial upgrade, a roast beef sandwich, received. A plausible explanation, however, may lie in the wisdom of one Reddit user who suggested that the turkey sandwich was "not cost effective nor labor effective." Although it's mere speculation, this answer might suffice.

Costco's hot turkey and provolone sandwich was $3.99 before the grocery store's latest replacement attempt — a more costly turkey Swiss sandwich at $6.99. The former was served hot, while the latter is served cold. Considering that the hot sandwich required the labor of being panini-pressed, and hot sandwiches are subject to sales tax in some states like California and Iowa, Costco may have wanted to factor this extra cost into its provolone sandwich. The pandemic adjustments likely presented an opportunity to make a price and product shift from hot to cold while saving Costco money.

To say fans miss Costco's hot turkey and provolone sandwich is an understatement. There's been a petition running since March 2022 named "Bring back the Costco turkey pesto sandwich" dedicated to airing customers' opinions. "Ever since it left my life has not been the same," one supporter wrote. Others called it the worst move Costco's ever made. But perhaps the most captivating efforts are those sharing copycat recipes of the food-court item, with one TikTok user even claiming they're a Costco ex-staffer now spilling their sandwich secrets. So what's in this beloved menu item? Another ex-staffer gladly shared to Reddit what lies between the toasted torta rolls: turkey, basil pesto, tomato, onion, and provolone. Simple enough, yet every attempt to replace this sandwich has been an utter failure.

Even the new turkey Swiss sandwich has failed to live up to the former's glory, which proves that the devil is in the details. It may be that the new sandwich uses mayo, while the former used a bright basil pesto. Or that the new one is served cold while the former was served hot. Or, maybe the much higher price of the new sandwich is enough to anger and turn away potential customers. Whatever the case, it's clear that Costco's hot turkey provolone sandwich occupied customers' hearts pre-pandemic and never left.