The Chinese Costco Food Court Item US Shoppers Are Demanding In The States

There's one thing missing from Costco food courts in the U.S.: spicy fried chicken. American customers were outraged to find that six-piece spicy fried chicken buckets are retailing for just $7.72 in Shenzhen, China. Those attending the Chinese branch have raved about its juicy meat and perfect spice level.

Interestingly, it isn't just China that offers these buckets; customers in Taiwan have also shared clips of the envy-inspiring food court item, which is priced at around $3. Canadian branches used to stock spicy fried chicken buckets, too, sadly pausing production indefinitely around 2022. And Japan has a similar variation, selling buckets of chicken sticks. For U.S. customers, it's baffling that Costco is not matching the menus and retailing the same item. 

These Costco chicken buckets seem popular in the countries that do sell them, so we can't help wondering where Costco would have landed on our scale of fast food chicken wings, ranked worst to best.

So, why isn't Costco listening to the masses? Why doesn't the company add fried chicken buckets to its U.S. menus? The general consensus from social media users is that it would clash too much with the rotisserie chicken product that's already available from the deli section. Some believe that launching fried chicken could knock the popular existing salty, golden-skinned chicken dish off its well-performing pedestal.

Others suggest that it's due to long-lasting supplier issues, rumored to be the reason behind the discontinued Canadian versions. According to customers on Reddit, the Canadian chain cut their contracts after repeatedly receiving gradually smaller wings, with the supplier refusing to provide the original sizing. It's safe to assume that these issues could cross over between the U.S. and Canada, perhaps putting off American chains from launching a similar product.

Some customers also blame rising prices, stating that the chain would rather knock the product on the head entirely than up their costs. And, on a side note, be wary of quality when purchasing meat in your groceries at Costco. A few customers report chicken quality not to be the chain's strong point, with one citing a sulfur smell and others highlighting how wings are typically made from discarded meat segments. In fact, skip Costco altogether if you're on the hunt for party wings.