Costco's Once-Great Chicken Bake Is Tiny Now, Fans Say

Costco's food courts are home to a variety of food and beverage options that shoppers adore for their taste, value, and convenience, from the $1.50 hot dog combos to the $9.95 whole pizzas. But according to members, one legendary food court offering has recently been hit with some major quality issues.

Late last week, a Costco fan took to Reddit to complain that the food court Chicken Bakes are "tiny now." Falling somewhere between a souped-up Hot Pocket and a sandwich, the Chicken Bakes feature chicken, cheese Caesar dressing, and bacon baked inside a crispy crust.

"Got a Chicken Bake and it's absolutely a shell of its former glory," the Redditor lamented. "Same length as they used to be but seems like 30% skinnier."

This shopper isn't the only one who has noticed a decline in the popular food court offering. Customers have been complaining for years that Costco changed its Chicken Bake for the worse, saying that the updated version is smaller, contains less filling, and isn't quite as satisfying as the original.

Now, the Reddit complaint has inspired a fresh wave of customer ire against the allegedly downgraded Chicken Bakes. The post has already racked up over 100 comments, many of which similarly complained about the size of the food court item.

costco chicken bakes — Photo: Costco / Facebook

"Hardly worth standing in line for. I agree they are skinnier, even out here in CA," a shopper commented.

"They are far, far, far smaller than they were five years back," another lamented. Others jokingly compared the Chicken Bakes to "taquitos" and "eggrolls" in size.

To be fair, this issue doesn't seem to be affecting Costco shoppers nationwide. Several members commented on the post to report that the Chicken Bakes are still just as large as ever at their local warehouses.

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Still, the size issues can't be dismissed as a limited anomaly due to the scores of complaints that stretch back for years. Some shoppers speculated that the particularly small Chicken Bakes weren't allowed to thaw or rise properly after being removed from the freezer, resulting in their petite appearance.

"That's how they look at my Costco after a busy dinner rush, when they forget to take more out of the cooler sooner," a Redditor noted.

The Chicken Bake isn't the only popular Costco item to garner criticism lately. The retailer's ribeye has also been racking up major complaints from shoppers, who say the steak is tough in texture, insufficiently marbled, and lower quality than it used to be.