Costco's Food Court Is Testing Cheeseburgers & They Look Glorious

Already a paradise for budget-conscious food lovers, Costco is one-upping its abundant free samples and Polish dogs with a new addition to its somewhat-limited menu.

According to PopSugar, the members-only warehouse chain — which happens to have outdoor food courts that are decidedly not members-only — is testing out cheeseburgers at select locations, with plans to roll them out nationwide in the coming months.

The larger-than-life 1/3-pound burgers have "an organic beef patty, romaine lettuce, smoked Thousand Island dressing, tomatoes, and Cheddar cheese" all on a challah roll. Like all burger chains, it seems that Costco is betting on the secret sauce to pull in customers (not that the low price of $4.99 would actually deter anyone from trying it out).

Customers who have already tried the cheeseburger say that its size is pretty impressive and more akin to a sit-down restaurant's burger offerings than anything from a fast-food chain.

As with any restaurant worth its salt, the smoked Thousand Island sauce is shrouded in mystery. So it looks like McDonald's secret sauce and In-N-Out's spread has some competition.

"The special sauce is proprietary and cannot be shared," a Costco spokesperson told BuzzFeed Food.

When the burger made its debut, it was reported to be a West Coast specialty, appearing only in Seattle locations and a few spots in Southern California. The Orange County Register spotted the new menu item at locations in Corona, Pacoima, and Lakewood, but BuzzFeed found that the burger is spreading — and fast: NBC reports that select locations in North Carolina, Georgia, and Colorado also have the burger available.

A Costco spokesperson explained that the food court is always introducing new items and phasing out less-popular ones (fingers crossed that the beloved 18-inch pizza never goes away), so if the burger's limited run proves successful, it could become available at every location.