A Southern California delivery startup called No Tip is reselling Costco's $1.50 hot dog and soda combo for $18, 12 times the food court price. Its founder says offices are buying.
Costco's $1.50 hot dog and soda combo is one of the last true bargains in America. In Southern California, someone found a way to charge $18 for it.
A new food delivery startup called No Tip is selling the combo for $18, SFGate reported, and Dexerto picked up the story Monday. That's 12 times the food court price, or a $16.50 markup on the exact same hot dog.
No Tip founder Jack Chen told SFGate his customers aren't paying out of their own pockets. "A lot of offices are ordering from me. It's the company's money," he said.
SFGate said it reached out to Costco and didn't hear back before publication. Nothing in the reporting says the startup has any deal with the warehouse chain.
Why can't you get Costco hot dogs on DoorDash or Uber Eats?
Because Costco doesn't put them there. Costco expanded same-day delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash to 47 states this fall, Dexerto reported in September. But hot food court items, including the hot dog combo, aren't part of it.
That leaves a gap for anyone craving a Costco dog without the drive. No Tip is filling it, at a price.
"You'd be surprised how some people are just craving it specifically," Chen told SFGate.
What does No Tip say about Costco?
Chen says he's a fan. "I love Costco, and I would like to get more business to Costco," he told SFGate.
His argument is that No Tip's orders add sales for Costco, not take them away. Every $18 combo still has to be bought at a Costco food court first, by a member, Chen said.
Hot dogs are only the start. A whole pizza that costs $9.95 at the food court runs $30 on No Tip, and the $7.99 chicken chef salad is $28, SFGate reported. Chen pitches it mostly as catering, for office lunches and parties of up to 200 people.
No Tip's prices are all-inclusive, with no added tips or fees, hence the name, SFGate reported. The site says it serves all of Southern California through 66 fulfillment locations, and Northern California isn't in the works. Late orders can get a refund.
How long has the Costco hot dog been $1.50?
Since the 1980s. Costco's combo has sat at $1.50 for roughly four decades, and the company has made a point of never raising it.
A few of the promises along the way:
2009: Co-founder Jim Sinegal, asked what a price increase would mean, reportedly answered, "That I'm dead."
2022: Then-CFO Richard Galanti said Costco planned to keep the price the same "forever."
2024: CEO Ron Vachris said a price hike on the hot dog or rotisserie chicken wouldn't happen on his watch.
Costco has changed what comes with it, though. It switched the soda from Coca-Cola to Pepsi in 2013 to save money, then went back to Coke in 2025. In April 2026, it added a Kirkland Signature bottled water as a drink option.
How many hot dogs does Costco sell?
A lot. Costco sold an average of about 135 million hot dogs a year as of 2018, more than every Major League Baseball stadium combined.
At $1.50 each, that's around $200 million in combo sales a year. At No Tip prices, it would be $2.4 billion. Our math, not Costco's.
Is it worth paying $18 for a Costco hot dog?
Only you and your expense account can answer that.
If you live near a Costco, the cheaper move is the obvious one: go get it yourself for $1.50. If the office is buying lunch anyway, $18 for a quarter-pound hot dog and a soda is about what a sit-down lunch costs in a lot of cities.
Delivery markups aren't new, either. When Costco's grocery delivery came to Uber Eats and DoorDash, shoppers argued over whether app prices were worth the convenience, Dexerto reported. Some said they'd keep driving to the warehouse.
No Tip just took that debate to its logical end, with a 1,100% markup on a hot dog. We'd still rather drive.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
SFGate (Nov. 2026), the No Tip story, prices, fees, coverage area, Costco's non-response and Jack Chen's quotes
Dexerto (Nov. 9, 2026), the $18 price, No Tip details and the Southern California location
Dexerto (Sept. 18, 2026), Costco's Uber Eats and DoorDash delivery and the food court exclusion
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