Costco's Deli Mac and Cheese Is Shockingly Cheap per Serving: Here's What Shoppers Uncovered
Most prepared supermarket entrees carry hefty markups. Supermarket chains routinely charge upwards of $6.00 to $8.00 per single-serve heat-and-eat meal. Costco approaches its deli lineup with a wholesale mindset, pricing ready-to-bake meals strictly by net weight rather than fixed unit pricing.
Kirkland Signature deli mac and cheese sits at $3.49 per pound in US warehouses. An average tray weighs roughly 3.75 to 4.25 pounds, bringing the register total to roughly $13.00 to $15.00. When portioned out as a main course for four adults, the price per plate hovers at roughly $3.50. When served as a side dish alongside grilled meat or vegetables, that figure drops to roughly $1.50 per serving.
Data compiled by food industry analysts at Tasting Table earlier this year demonstrated that this pasta tray undercuts every other prepared entree in the club's deli coolers. Stuffed peppers, chicken pot pies, and gyro kits all exceed $4.99 per pound, leaving the cheese-laden cavatappi in an uncontested value position.