Costco Wholesale, left, shown at its current location near WinCo Foods on West Shaw Avenue at Blythe Avenue.
CRAIG KOHLRUSS
ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
The Costco in West Fresno is scheduled to close its food court starting Aug. 24 for renovation and upgrades.
Earlier this week, the Costco located on West Shaw Avenue in Fresno posted a paper notice in the food court announcing the closing.
The construction will take approximately 30 days, according to an assistant general manager. The food court area will be shut down and this location will pause serving hot food and fountain drinks, such as customers’ favorite hot dogs and pizzas.
“It’s going to get all refreshed,” said the manager, who declined to be named because of corporate policy. “We’ll include new equipment, not completely all brand-new equipment, but floors, walls, ceiling, lights, a good portion of our equipment, and countertops. We’re doing a full remodel, so it’s all good stuff.”
The food court is one of the most iconic facilities of the membership-based wholesale supermarket. Popular items on the menu include pizza, hot dogs, ice cream, and the recently introduced chicken strips. Costco’s food court is known for its generous serving sizes and affordable prices, for example, the all-beef hot dog and soda combo, which includes free refills, has been priced at $1.50 since 1985.
The manager told The Fresno Bee that the West Fresno Costco is a 40-year-old warehouse, and its food court is very successful and popular.
“There were some upgrades we can do while staying in business,” he said. “But this one, with the scope of the work, it’s just better to close it down completely in order for the work to be completed in a timely manner.”
Meanwhile, customers who crave hot dogs are welcome to purchase the frozen versions of the same hot dogs at the warehouse, the manager said.
All other departments at the warehouse will remain open while the food court undergoes renovations.
The other two Costco locations in the area, one on North Abby Street near Highway 41 and Herndon Avenue, the other one on Clovis and Shaw Avenues, will stay fully operational, including their food courts.
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Leqi Zhong is the Clovis accountability/enterprise reporter for The Bee. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a Master’s degree in journalism. She joined The Bee in 2023 as an education reporter. Leqi grew up in China and is native in Cantonese and Mandarin.