"Dogdoughbarkfest: Costco 2 with Excalibur" is Episode 322 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Dogdoughbarkfest: Costco 2 with Excalibur" was released on October 14, 2021.
"Tomorrow… with Excalibur" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Excalibur (AEW Dynamite, AEW Rampage) joins the 'boys for Dogdoughbarkfest to discuss wrestling and Jacksonville eats before a review of Costco. Plus, a shocking edition of Breaking Chews.
Nick's intro[]
"I came to Jim Sinegal once and I said, 'Jim, we can't sell this hot dog for a buck fifty. We are losing our rear ends,' and he said, 'if you raise the f--ing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.'"
Jim Sinegal
This quote by club-store CEO, W. Craig Jelinek, recalling a conversation with founder Jim Sinegal, as first reported by Todd Matthews of 425 Business, has repeatedly gone viral over the years. The good-humored directness of Sinegal's language is arresting, but even more so in an age of cynical, bottom-line-only corporate behavior, as the founders focus not only on profits, but on the consumer.
Whether calculated or not, this customer-forward approach has helped the big box store accumulate a fiercely loyal membership, and it has a similarly loyal workforce in the famously high-turnover retail sector. The chain's minimum wage was increased to $16 an hour in early 2021, and more than half of its employees make at least $25 an hour.
The chain is known for its value-conscious and ever-changing selection of goods: bulk items like gallon-sized mustard jugs and 30-packs of paper towels, alongside an eclectic mix of errata, like activewear, sectionals, and laptops; plus, an occasional obscene luxury like a $17,000 bottle of whiskey.
But the stores are just as known for their prepared food, from the free samples (which have obviously taken a backseat in the age of COVID) to enormous rotisserie chickens to the food court - where that famous buck-and-two-quarters hot dog/soda combo can be found.
The sausage's presence traces to a popular Hebrew National cart outside a San Diego store of absorbed former competitor, Price Club, and, for decades, the chain in fact sold Hebrew National franks. But in 2009, looking to limit costs while retaining quality, the company began manufacturing its own Kirkland Signature dogs.
The gambit paid off, and today, long lines still stream from its food courts from open to close, with famished shoppers hoping to grab some post-spree pizza, chicken bakes, and churros - but mostly hot dogs: an absurd value from a brand built on absurd values.
To again quote CEO Jelinek, "By having the discipline to say you are not going to be able to raise your price, you have to figure it out. We keep it at $1.50 and make enough money to get a fair return."
This week on Doughboys, we continue Dogdoughbarkfest 2021, a month-long grillebration of hot dogs and pet dogs, as we return to Costco.
Fork rating[]
The first time The Doughboys visited Costco, it was during the 2018 Tournament of Chompions: The Slice is Right. In the first Class Struggle region, it defeated California Pizza Kitchen. It then advanced to the second Semifinals match, where it defeated Little Caesar's. This placed in The Slice Is Right finals against Domino's and Blaze (where it came in 2nd place).
A couple years later, they reviewed Costco properly, but as a grocery store as part of Friendly Green Grocer Mitch's Grocery Store Month. It received 10 carts (5 forks) all around, and made the Platinum Plate Club.
| guest / host | ordered | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
5 forks |
| Mike Mitchell |
|
4 forks |
| Excalibur |
|
3.5 forks |
Excalibur shared his order with his wife. Nick took the hot-dog wiener home to his wife, just eating an empty bun.
Spoonman's Bite of the Night went to the Ice Cream Sundae.
Thus, with scores Costco is demoted from the Platinum Plate Club and even out of the Golden Plate Club.
(In the next episode, Mitch revises his score from 3.75 to 4 forks.)
Breaking Chews[]
| “ | This week's top story: I got some personal news! You and a lot of the listeners know me as the Burger Boy Nick Wiger, but you may not know this - my full legal name is Nicolas Frank Wiger. And sometimes I go by Frank. It's time to review the week in hot-dog news in another edition of Let Me Be Frank! | ” |
Let Me Be Frank 🌭[]
The Lovin' Spoonful "Summer in the City"
| “ | Hot dog simmer in the city Grit on my grill gettin' greasy and gritty |
” |
Elvis Presley "Hound Dog"
| “ |
You ain't nothin' but a hot dog |
” |
The Rembrandts "I'll Be There For You"
| “ |
So no one told you lunch was gonna be this late |
” |
The Shawshank Redemption
| “ | Sometimes it makes me sad though. Hot dogs being gone. I have to remind myself that some franks aren't meant to be fridged. Their casings are just too tight. And when they get eaten up, the part of you that knows it was a sin to have them sitting in your fridge does rejoice, but still, the place you live in (which is currently my Mom's house) is that much more grey and empty that the dogs are now gone. I guess I just miss my franks.
|
” |
Rob Gronkowski
In this segment, Mitch searches Google for 'hot dog' and discovers the latest news about hot dogs. Nick uses his preferred search engine, Chandler Bing and also finds some news. They then discuss!
- Today, the first story is a piece about how many hot dogs Rob Gronkowski can fit in his mouth. Nick predicts his number is 5. Turns out, Rob can put nine dogs in his mouth.
- Mitch finds a headline about Portillo's going public, which was also mentioned briefly on last week's Let Me Be Frank; and a very sad story about a dog and a hot spring (which they refuse to mention).
- Mitch mentions that 2021's top pet costumes include pumpkins, hot dogs, and superheroes.
- He finds a story about a Chicago hot-dog place that will offer free hot dogs for a day, if the Chicago Bulls miss the playoffs this season.
Spooky Hot Dog Roast Spoonman[]
Michael Myers
| “ | Michael Oscar Mayers | ” |
–Alyssa | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | Excalibur, how would this be for a wrestling gimmick? Some sort of chef, or a food man. The guy who brings a big sub to the ring, a party sub. He's a food guy! He's got a big appetite. | ” |
–Mike "Hungry Henry" Mitchell | ||
| “ | I don't like you running around town with loose hot dogs. I don't like it. | ” |
–Mike Mitchell re: Nick bringing the frank home to his wife | ||
#hashtags[]
- #MountMiniFridgemore
The Feedbag[]
| “ | I need to know your guys' Mt. Mini-Fridgemore. If you can only choose four items to keep in a mini-fridge, say in your work office or a hotel room, what would they be? | ” |
–Meghan Markle | ||
| guest / host | Mt. Mini-Fridgemore |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
| Mike Mitchell |
|
| Excalibur |
|
Related Episodes[]
| Dogdoughbarkfest episodes | Wrestling episodes | Costco episodes |
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Photos[]
