There’s a particular kind of frustration that comes from standing in a Costco bakery section, pen in hand, filling out a paper form like it’s 2004. You drove twenty minutes to the warehouse. You found parking, which is its own Olympic event. And now you’re hunched over a little slip of paper, writing down that you want a half-sheet cake with “Happy Birthday Dylan” in blue frosting. Then you drive home. Then you come back days later to pick it up. Two trips. For a cake. It’s the kind of thing you just accept as part of the Costco experience — until suddenly, you don’t have to anymore.
That Paper Order Form Is Finally Dying
During Costco’s Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings call, CEO Ron Vachris confirmed what a lot of members had been begging for: the company is rolling out app-based ordering for custom bakery cakes. The update, expected to expand throughout 2026, will let you submit a custom cake order digitally. No paper form. No extra trip to the warehouse just to place the request.
Vachris pointed to member feedback as the driving force behind the change. “Many of the things that we’ve heard from our members that could be a little bit clunky are now moving to a digital state,” he said. And honestly, “clunky” is a generous word for how that ordering process felt. He also mentioned that deli trays would be part of the same digital upgrade, which is a nice bonus for anyone planning a party spread.
Why Did It Take This Long?
This is the part that genuinely baffles people. Costco is a $250+ billion company. They’ve had an app for a while. You can buy a patio set, a case of protein bars, and a set of tires through their digital platform. But ordering a birthday cake? That required showing up in person with a pen. It’s one of those things that was so obviously outdated that people just kind of laughed about it and moved on.
Costco has historically been slow to adopt certain tech conveniences, and it’s usually intentional. The whole model is built around getting you into the warehouse. Once you’re there, you’re spending money on stuff you didn’t plan to buy. That’s not an accident. So a feature that keeps you at home? Not exactly aligned with their strategy. But apparently, enough people complained — or just stopped ordering cakes altogether — that the math finally shifted.
Some Members Already Have It
Here’s the thing that’s been driving Reddit users a little crazy. Some people already have access to early versions of the feature, while most don’t. Screenshots have popped up on Reddit showing options like choosing a cake shape through the app. So depending on where you live, this may already be available — or it might still be months away.
The rollout isn’t universal yet. It seems to be hitting select locations first, which is pretty standard for app features at big retailers. But that hasn’t stopped the speculation and impatience online. One Reddit user commented, “I’d love to be able to Instacart my custom cake order as well as my pizza and hot dog order.” Another said they need a babysitter every time they do a Costco run, so eliminating one of the two trips would be “a godsend.” Fair enough.
But What About That Bakery Recall Nobody Talked About?
While everyone was focused on the cake-ordering update, Costco quietly dealt with a different bakery issue that deserved more attention. In late January and early February of 2026, the company issued a recall notice for its “Mini Beignets filled with Caramel” after discovering they had been accidentally packaged with “Mini Beignets filled with Chocolate Hazelnut.” The problem? Undeclared tree nuts.
If you have a hazelnut or tree nut allergy, that’s not a minor mix-up. That’s potentially life-threatening. Costco said the affected purchases were made between January 16 and 30, and the issue spanned over 20 states — including big ones like California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois. The company offered full refunds for anyone who returned the product.
It’s the kind of recall that flies under the radar because it’s not dramatic enough for most news cycles. No one got sick (at least publicly), and it was resolved relatively quickly. But it’s a reminder that even warehouse-scale bakeries make mistakes, and checking labels — even at places you trust — matters.
The Rotisserie Chicken Lawsuit Adds to the Mess
And if you thought the beignet mix-up was the only thing Costco was dealing with, there’s more. Right around the same time, a class-action lawsuit landed accusing Costco of falsely advertising its Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken as containing “no preservatives.” The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, claims the chicken actually contains sodium phosphate and carrageenan — both of which function as preservatives.
The plaintiffs argue that Costco’s in-store signage and website give the impression the chicken is preservative-free, and that any mention of those ingredients was buried in small print on the back of the label. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two consumers who say they made purchasing decisions based on those “no preservatives” claims. Their attorney told FOX Business that “consumers reasonably rely on clear, prominent claims like ‘No Preservatives,’ especially when deciding what they and their families will eat.”
Now, whether this lawsuit goes anywhere is anyone’s guess. These kinds of labeling cases pop up frequently in the food industry. Some settle. Some get tossed. But it does raise a real question about how much we actually know about what’s in the food we buy — even at stores we feel good about shopping at.
What the App Update Actually Means for Regular Shoppers
Back to the cake situation, because that’s what most people are excited about. The practical impact here is bigger than it sounds on paper. Costco’s half-sheet cakes are legendarily affordable — we’re talking under $25 for a cake that feeds a crowd. They’re a staple of kids’ birthday parties, office celebrations, graduations, and pretty much any event where you need dessert for 40 people without spending a fortune.
But the two-trip requirement was a real barrier. Plenty of people just skipped the custom order entirely and grabbed whatever was already in the bakery case. Which is fine. But losing customization because of a clunky process is exactly the kind of friction that drives customers to competitors. Walmart and Sam’s Club both already offer online cake ordering. So in a way, Costco was behind the curve here.
With app ordering, you’ll presumably be able to choose your cake size, shape, flavor, and inscription from your phone. Place the order. Show up once to pick it up. Done. It sounds simple because it is — and that’s exactly why it took so long for people to understand why it wasn’t already an option.
Should You Still Check the Label on Everything?
Absolutely. The beignet recall is a perfect example. A mislabeled product at a store with millions of daily customers is a big deal, even if it gets resolved quickly. Tree nut allergies are among the most common and most dangerous food allergies in the U.S. And the error wasn’t a formulation issue — it was a packaging mistake. The wrong product ended up in the wrong box. That can happen anywhere, at any scale.
If you or someone in your household has a food allergy, it’s worth double-checking products even when you’ve bought them before with no issues. Recalls often don’t get the visibility they should, especially for items that aren’t part of a larger outbreak. You can check Costco’s website or the FDA’s recall page to stay current on any flagged products.
Costco’s Weird Balancing Act Between Old School and Modern
There’s something almost charming about Costco’s resistance to going fully digital. They still don’t accept Visa at the food court in some locations. The website still feels like it was designed in 2012 (which, honestly, it might have been). And until now, ordering a cake meant physically writing your request on a form like you were placing an order at a deli counter in 1997.
But the company is clearly making a push. Vachris mentioned during the earnings call that the company is “seeing great adoption right out of the chute” with its digital updates. That suggests members aren’t just open to change — they’re jumping on it. The question now is how quickly they expand app ordering nationwide and what other in-store processes get the same treatment. Deli trays are already confirmed. Pizza and hot dog orders? Maybe eventually, but don’t hold your breath on that one.
For now, the biggest takeaway is pretty straightforward. Costco’s bakery — long one of the best deals in the warehouse — is getting a little easier to use and a little more accountable when things go wrong. The app update is overdue but welcome. The recall was handled quickly. And the rotisserie chicken lawsuit, whatever happens with it, is a good reminder to read the fine print even on products you’ve trusted for years. Most of this just comes down to paying a little more attention — something we could all probably stand to do, whether we’re ordering a sheet cake or grabbing dinner on the way out.
