Business Insider/Jessica Tyler Costco's vegan Al Pastor Salad was delicious.
- Costco recently removed the Polish hot dog from its food-court menu to make room for healthier and vegan options, including a new al pastor salad and acai bowl.
- The al pastor salad is made with fresh vegetables and plant-based protein, and the acai bowl is topped with blueberries and strawberries.
- Costco is the latest among many mainstream retailers to introduce vegan options to meet growing demand.
- We tried Costco's two new menu items and were surprised by how much we liked them.
Costco recently removed the fan favorite Polish hot dog from its food court to make room for healthier and vegan options.
While many Costco members were excited about the addition of vegan options, Costco faced backlash for removing the Polish hot dog, a variation on its traditional hot dog, which will itself remain on the menu. The retailer responded to the backlash to the menu changes on Facebook, explaining, "We try and keep our Food Court exciting by adding new items."
The new menu items, which include an al pastor salad with plant-based protein and an acai bowl with fresh fruit and Kirkland granola, are healthier than many of the other food-court offerings and are both vegan-friendly. "Not everybody gets as excited about pizza and hot dogs as I do," Costco CEO Craig Jelinek told shareholders in January.
Costco is the latest among many mainstream brands to start adding vegan options to meet increased demand. Nestle acquired vegan meat supplier Sweet Earth in September, Campbell recently acquired Pacific Foods, which makes non-dairy milks, and White Castle recently added the plant-based Impossible Burger to its menu.
Considering that the Costco food court is known for its insanely cheap pizza and hot dogs, we were blown away by how good the vegan options were. See what we thought: