Jul. 30, 2025 "As a B.C. Costco cracks down on its food court, is there anywhere truly cheap left to eat?": Today I found this article by Natalie Stechyson on CBC:
It's not easy to find an inexpensive meal these days, especially if you're feeding a family and especially if you're on the go.
It could cost you $50 to get four full meals at McDonald's.
A KFC family bucket meal costs around $45 before tax.
Even four plain hotdogs from a road-side chip truck could cost you upwards of $30.
Family packs at Swiss Chalet start at $39.99.
A single burrito from Mucho Burrito is $12.45.
It's tough out there. But for decades, for so many, there's been a thrifty oasis of sorts — tucked in a bulk warehouse, wrapped in foil and served with a fountain drink.
The $1.50 Costco hotdog meal.
Despite inflation, the price has held firm since the 1980s,
and its been a popular menu item for both card-carrying Costco members
and those just there for the food.
So when Vancouver's downtown Costco recently posted signs announcing people will need an active membership card to purchase food from the food court,
it sparked a fierce debate online about whether non-members should be able to access those cheap meals.
"Everyone deserves to be able to buy a $1.50 hotdog and drink if they're broke,"
wrote someone on a Costco Canada subreddit.
"With how expensive everything is, you could always get a cheap quality eat here.
Sad for the non-members,"
Technically, the Costco food court has always been for members only,
but the policy hasn't always been strictly enforced.
Costco reportedly started cracking down on non-members accessing its food courts in 2020,
and made another push last year,
but still, some people find ways to get at those cheap dogs without paying the $65 membership fee.
On social media, people post videos of sneaking inside,
share tips on pretending to go to the pharmacy to get through the doors
and describe high school kids strolling in for inexpensive lunches.
Entire families have grabbed a quick dinner on their way to concerts and hockey games.
Employees at the downtown Vancouver Costco recently told CBC Vancouver that this location in particular had been lax with its food court policy because of its location outside the warehouse.
The Vancouver is Awesome website notes it's a popular spot for people to grab a quick bite on their way to nearby Rogers Arena or BC Place.
CBC News has contacted Costco Canada for a comment and not yet heard back.
When CBC Vancouver reached out to the local store in June,
they were told it's their policy to require membership to buy food from the food court.
'Real challenge of people getting affordable food'
Canada's annual food price report forecasted that in 2025,
overall food prices would increase three to five per cent
— working out to the average family of four spending $16,833.67 on food in 2025,
an increase of up to $801.56 from last year.
Meanwhile, a surge in operating expenses drove a 25 per cent increase in the cost of food purchased from restaurants as of December 2023,
compared with December 2019,
according to a 2025 Statistics Canada report.
The Costco food court has always been able to keep its prices down
because it was designed to get people into the store to buy other items,
not as its own profit centre,
said William Huggins, an assistant professor of finance and business economics at McMaster University in Hamilton.
But the rising cost of food has been a challenge for it,
he added,
and now the financial stress in our current economy means we're seeing
people going to Costco just to eat the cheap hotdogs
or going to Ikea just to eat the cheap meatballs without buying anything else,
he said.
"Inadvertently, what happens is we've got
corporations making up for deficits
in our social programs,"
Huggins said.
"It tells you how weird things have gotten.
That people are like, 'Well, I'm so financially distressed I'm going to go and find the cheapest food I can. A hotdog.'"
From a business point of view,
if you're getting a lot more demand from people that you will never convert into customers,
you start losing money,
Huggins added. In that way, Costco's decision makes sense, he said.
"From a bigger point of view,
it goes to show you that there's a real challenge of people getting affordable food."
Eating out like 'normal people'
About one in four Canadians lived in a household facing food insecurity in 2024,
according to the University of Toronto's Food Insecurity Policy Research Program.
Meanwhile, the income gap in Canada reached a record high in the first quarter of 2025, according to Statistics Canada data released this month,
with the highest-income households benefiting from investments
and the lowest-income households seeing declining wages.
Poverty takes a big toll on
mental,
physical
and social health,
said Elaine Power, a professor in the school of kinesiology and health studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., who researches issues related to
class,
food
and health.
"Being able to eat out once in a while like 'normal people' is an antidote to
deprivation,
social isolation
and social exclusion,"
Power said.
"This is important for everyone, but especially for parents who want their kids to be able to fit in and belong, like other kids."
Still, $1.50 hotdog meals aren't really the answer, said Kelleen Wiseman, the academic director of the master of food resource economics program at the University of British Columbia.
Stable incomes,
access to healthy foods
and the cost of housing
are some of the core issues to address with food insecurity,
she said.
Wiseman also noted that most Costco stores are in areas that aren't accessible to downtown cores,
other than Vancouver, which makes the option of just stopping in to eat "not all that possible."
Fast-food restaurants moving upmarket
A lot of fast-food restaurants have been focusing on moving up into a differentiated product instead of lowering prices
— taking steps like adding
salads
and rice bowls
to the menu to chase higher-margin goods,
said Huggins.
"They've tried to move upmarket a little bit,
which means we need companies to come back in
and take those bottom niches of the market."
That said, Costco does currently appear to have that market cornered — if you have a membership.
"I don't know how they're making money on this thing," says a woman taking a bite out of a Costco hotdog in a Facebook video about how to feed a family of six for under $30.
"I'm going to have a party next week. Is it crazy to ask for 20 or so $1.50 hotdogs to go from the food court?" asks someone on a Costco subreddit.
"The price can't be beat and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/costco-food-court-membership-1.7595356
My opinion: This part stood out to me the most:
"Inadvertently, what happens is we've got
corporations making up for deficits
in our social programs,"
Huggins said.
I like this article because it's not only about restaurants and a store.
This is also about charity, and helping people:
Stable incomes,
access to healthy foods
and the cost of housing
are some of the core issues to address with food insecurity,
she said.
May 23, 2026 "The Pizza Huts from your childhood are making a comeback. Here's why nostalgia sells": Today I found this article by Natalie Stechyson on CBC:
It was once a sacred place, ushering you inside with its signature red roof and comforting smell of bubbling cheese in a special era now known lovingly as "the '90s."
In its prime, Pizza Hut wasn't just a restaurant chain — it was an experience.
The stained glass lamps,
red booths
and red cups.
The fully loaded salad bar.
The Pac-Man machines to keep you entertained while you waited for your personal-pan pizza.
"It was perfect," says one of many TikTok videos of the experience.
"Felt like home," someone commented on another nostalgic video.
Now, one of the largest franchisees in the U.S. is bringing Pizza Hut back to its
retro glory days
by revamping dozens of its locations,
part of a larger overall push toward classic Pizza Huts.
Pizza Hut's sales have been falling in the crowded pizza market,
but the change, evidently, is popular.
The "classic" locations owned by Daland Corporation are some of the chain's top performers,
with customers reportedly driving hours just to sit down and eat.
They've "been very positively received in the communities where we’ve converted them," said Tim Sparks, president of the Kansas-based franchisee,
which oversees 94 Pizza Hut locations across the U.S.,
though none in Canada.
Of those, Sparks has converted 38 into retro Pizza Huts since 2019,
and plans to convert 12 more.
"These restaurants were built around dining-room experiences
— families gathering after events,
sports teams celebrating,
kids enjoying arcade games like Pac-Man
and even waiting for songs on the jukebox,"
he told CBC News.
"It is a very different experience from
simply picking up
or having a pizza delivered."
Elusive no more
Until recently, "classic" Pizza Hut locations were elusive, not listed on the Pizza Hut website, but widely sought after and celebrated by those who made the pilgrimage.
People shared their finds on Reddit, Facebook, TikTok and Substack,
where they described driving hours out of their way for an experience that was,
"in every way, so worth it."
According to the New York Times, the first classic remodel was in 2019 in Ashdown, Ark.,
and only certain models in certain markets are eligible for the '90s decor.
Pizza Hut provides franchisees
— like Daland Corporation
— with a specific guidebook,
the Times reports.
Now, the company appears to be leaning into the nostalgia.
Pizza Hut CEO Aaron Powell told NBC's Today on Tuesday customers should expect
"a real focus" on the classic experience,
which was followed a day later by parent company Yum Brands advertising some
155 "retro" Pizza Huts across the U.S.
That number include the 38 Daland Corporation locations, Sparks confirmed.
CBC News has reached out to both Pizza Hut and Yum Brands for details, including whether Canada has any classic locations, but has not yet heard back
On social media, however, rumours exist of a smattering of classic locations across the country.
And CBC News is aware of at least one Pizza Hut location in London, Ont., with a lunch buffet.
It's unclear whether these locations never changed or changed back.
Nostalgia is everywhere
This craving for the good ol' days doesn't end with pizza.
The past is present everywhere,
from food to movies.
And brands are seemingly buying in.
Last fall, McDonald's relaunched its Monopoly game after a decade-long hiatus,
acknowledging in its news release that playing it is a "core memory" for many of its customers.
Last September, Tim Hortons brought back its retro coffee cups for National Coffee Day,
describing it as "a trip down memory lane."
This was after the company brought back two retro doughnuts for a limited time:
the Walnut Crunch
and the Dutchie.
Meanwhile, landlines are trending as more people seek ways to put down their smartphones.
We've also seen a return to older forms of media, like
DVDs,
vinyl records
and film cameras.
Clothing company J. Crew recently relaunched its traditional catalogue.
Zellers might be returning (again).
The Barbie movie was a global blockbuster
and Lego's nostalgia factor
has helped make it one of the most identifiable brands in the world as it smashes sales records.
Marketing experts agree that nostalgia sells when people feel
insecure,
unsettled
or anxious.
You know, like in times of
soaring gas prices,
countries invading other countries,
worrying about whether AI will take our jobs
or whether another global pandemic is coming.
"We want to go back to the warmer,
more secure memories of childhood
when everything seemed simple and safe,"
said Grant Packard, an associate professor of marketing at York University in Toronto.
At the same time that we're being constantly exposed to negative information about the present,
we also tend to remember the past in a biased, more positive way,
says Matthew Philp, an associate professor of marketing at Toronto Metropolitan University.
"Nostalgia is then a warm safety blanket," he said.
Will it work for restaurants?
In a time when restaurants are struggling
and casual dining has become more functional than anything else,
it can be hard for new restaurants to build an emotional attachment with customers,
said Philp.
That's where Pizza Hut's long history gives it an advantage newer restaurants don't have.
"People remember having birthday parties there,
or family dinners,
and they will remember the red roof and the booths and the salad bar and whatever.
These can all be strong emotional cues
that are much harder for a new brand to create,"
Philp said.
The strategy of "going out" for pizza is particularly interesting
since pizza was the first restaurant category to go almost entirely delivery,
added Packard.
And since the pandemic, delivery has become more common,
he says, citing the rise of services like Uber Eats and Door Dash.
So for a pizza place to make dine-in work would be interesting.
Packard says he could see the classic restaurants appealing to people
who came of age in the '90s
and have fond Pizza Hut memories.
"Today, Gen X and Y have kids of their own
and that experience may feel fun to share with them,"
he said.
"It could give the family a reason to go out for pizza again."
My opinion: I'm getting a flashback of 2000. It was the end of Grade 9, and graduating out of jr. high school. My friends Angela and Michelle and I went to Pizza Hut. It was part of a Student Council event, though Angela wasn't in Student Council.
I remember we sat and ate there. Then we took the bus to Kingsway mall and went shopping.
I know I bumped into this white girl Cara from my homeroom and her Chinese girl friend there.
Also this conversation:
Tracy: If I were to pierce something that's not my ears, I would like to get a nose ring.
Angela: I wouldn't get a nose ring, then I would look like a cow.
Michelle: Well pierce one of your nostrils.
Actually bulls have nose rings and not cows.
My week:
Mon. Aug. 31, 2026:
Lise J, Otterburn Park, Québec, would like to know:
Do you believe in climate change ?
Yes
86.40% (3188)
No
13.60% (502)
My opinion: Yes.
Sept. 1, 2026:
Lila K, Mississauga , Ontario, would like to know:
What do you usually drink in the morning ?
Coffee
64.73% (2636)
Water
16.65% (678)
Tea
7.81% (318)
Other
4.96% (202)
Juice
4.08% (166)
I don’t usually drink anything in the morning
1.77% (72)
My opinion: Coffee.
Sat. Aug. 29, 2026: I wrote about this last week.
Centre of Spiritual Living Vintage Market Fundraiser: I'm going to attend this one.
I attended one in 2019.
Saturday, August 29
9am - 5pm
This is more than a fundraiser, it is an opportunity to gather with friends, welcome our neighbours from the Forest Heights and Terrace Heights communities, discover hidden treasures, support local makers, and celebrate the creativity and generosity of our Centre.
Homemade baking,
garden produce,
jewelry,
artwork,
crafts,
preserves,
sewing,
woodworking,
and other handmade or homegrown items
https://www.centreforspirit.com/fundraising-events
My opinion: I went there in the morning and was there for an hour. I didn't buy anything.
Books: I found this book for $12.
https://www.amazon.ca/Guide-Feng-Shui-Stephen-Skinner/dp/0751335886
I love feng shui, but I already have and read 4 books on it.
My dad bought these books on a discount.
I then thought that I had this book that my dad also bought on a discount.
It turns out I read half the book, and then I read a few pages today.
https://www.amazon.com/KISS-Guide-Dreams-Guides/dp/0789491990
Art supplies: There were pencil crayons, and I already have some.
There was a kid's coloring book, but I didn't like it.
Baked goods: There was baked goods like bite -sized cup cakes for $1.
Homeware: There were a lot of dishes.
Staples: I also recycled a small bag of 37 pens and markers there.
This was 2 yrs of saving them to recycle.
I used most of them, but there are some pens and markers I find in my home or outside my home that are out of ink.
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