Chicago Costco Business Center Worth the Trip?

[arclite]

Hi all,

How's the meat selection at the Business Center on the southside? Better than the average Costco that offers prime?

[arclite]

Anyone?

[wbratt1]

I don't have experience with that one, but the business center Costco south of Atlanta has a much better selection of meat than the regular ones here. You can get bone in butts, whole lambs, cases of meat....all kinds of good stuff that our regular ones don't have. This one also has equipment similar to a restaurant depot. That being said, since we moved and it's an 45 minutes plus from my house, I haven't gone back. I mainly go to local places or restaurant depot.

[ssv3]

You better run.

Heres my thread of what a business center looks like compared to a regular club.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=253488

[arclite]

Originally Posted by ssv3

You better run.

Heres my thread of what a business center looks like compared to a regular club.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=253488

Oh dear Lord!

[Ron_L]

Originally Posted by ssv3

You better run.

Heres my thread of what a business center looks like compared to a regular club.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=253488

Reminds me of Restaurant Depot.

Is a special type of Costco membership required?

[sudsandswine]

Originally Posted by ssv3

You better run.

Heres my thread of what a business center looks like compared to a regular club.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=253488

I shouldnt have clicked that

[LocoLeonard]

I shop at business center on the south side of Atlanta all of the time. This is the only place I buy meat. They have a great selection & the staff are all top notch people. A standard Costco membership is all that's required. No special membership needed.

[arclite]

Well, that was a bust. I just wasted 3 hours of my day.

The meat selection was small and unremarkable.

The beef was almost all choice with a couple Halal cuts. No Prime. I picked out a Strip Loin, but in the end passed. They had whole Clod and Rounds, which you don’t often see at my regular Costco. They also had untrimmed Skirt steaks, but after trimming down the cost wouldn’t be worth it.

Other than the bone-in picnics the pork was your average, everyday Swift label pork. Chicken was also factory farm level product. No whole hogs, lamb or anything more than run of the mill sausage.

The prices were a little cheaper than our north side Costco, but for me not worth the drive.

The store itself was part Rest. Depot, part Costco and part Office Max. Prices for non-meat were good, not great.

What really depressed me was that more than 10% of the store’s floor space was dedicated to soda pop. I’m surprised they weren’t handing out insulin pumps at the end of one of the aisles.

Oh well...

[DanB]

Hi All I have 2 Costco's in my area..The business Costco one has much better meat for smoking then the regular Costco..At the business one I can get prime brisket for $3.69 or choice for $2.99 also they are beef ribs. The other Costco has no briskets or beef ribs at all.
DanB

[Ron_L]

Originally Posted by arclite

Well, that was a bust. I just wasted 3 hours of my day.

The meat selection was small and unremarkable.

The beef was almost all choice with a couple Halal cuts. No Prime. I picked out a Strip Loin, but in the end passed. They had whole Clod and Rounds, which you don’t often see at my regular Costco. They also had untrimmed Skirt steaks, but after trimming down the cost wouldn’t be worth it.

Other than the bone-in picnics the pork was your average, everyday Swift label pork. Chicken was also factory farm level product. No whole hogs, lamb or anything more than run of the mill sausage.

The prices were a little cheaper than our north side Costco, but for me not worth the drive.

The store itself was part Rest. Depot, part Costco and part Office Max. Prices for non-meat were good, not great.

What really depressed me was that more than 10% of the store’s floor space was dedicated to soda pop. I’m surprised they weren’t handing out insulin pumps at the end of one of the aisles.

Oh well...

That’s too bad! Thanks for taking one for the team!

[Jcmhc]

Are you referring to the Bedford Park location?

[SonnyE]

No clue.
But I do know that if you don't go, you won't know.

Don't forget your biggest ice chests, and a wheelbarrow full of money.

Have fun!

[ulc]

Originally Posted by arclite

Well, that was a bust. I just wasted 3 hours of my day.

The meat selection was small and unremarkable.

The beef was almost all choice with a couple Halal cuts. No Prime. I picked out a Strip Loin, but in the end passed. They had whole Clod and Rounds, which you don’t often see at my regular Costco. They also had untrimmed Skirt steaks, but after trimming down the cost wouldn’t be worth it.

Other than the bone-in picnics the pork was your average, everyday Swift label pork. Chicken was also factory farm level product. No whole hogs, lamb or anything more than run of the mill sausage.

The prices were a little cheaper than our north side Costco, but for me not worth the drive.

The store itself was part Rest. Depot, part Costco and part Office Max. Prices for non-meat were good, not great.

What really depressed me was that more than 10% of the store’s floor space was dedicated to soda pop. I’m surprised they weren’t handing out insulin pumps at the end of one of the aisles.

Oh well...

I don't know what you were expecting. I took a look at the selection of meats at the Chicago location online and it looks pretty similar to one in Atlanta. If you're looking for mainly USDA Prime, the business center is not for you. They stock and sell lot more Choice and Select meats which is what the business customers want. And the meats are going to be commodity.

The selection changes and cuts like tri-tip will come and go. And your store has stuff like lamb shank and lamb shoulder. It should be in the grocery freezer aisle.

Personally, I love the Business Center in Atlanta. I go there to buy certain cuts like rib tips, shoulder clod, beef ribs, ox tails, and beef cheeks. I can't find those at regular Costco.

[arclite]

Originally Posted by Ron_L

That’s too bad! Thanks for taking one for the team!

Thanks Ron. Curiosity was killing me.

Originally Posted by Jcmhc

Are you referring to the Bedford Park location?

Yes sir.

Originally Posted by ulc

I don't know what you were expecting. I took a look at the selection of meats at the Chicago location online and it looks pretty similar to one in Atlanta. If you're looking for mainly USDA Prime, the business center is not for you. They stock and sell lot more Choice and Select meats which is what the business customers want. And the meats are going to be commodity.

The selection changes and cuts like tri-tip will come and go. And your store has stuff like lamb shank and lamb shoulder. It should be in the grocery freezer aisle.

Personally, I love the Business Center in Atlanta. I go there to buy certain cuts like rib tips, shoulder clod, beef ribs, ox tails, and beef cheeks. I can't find those at regular Costco.

I was expecting something a little more like this.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=253488

My assumption is Costco did their due diligence with market research and stock the Chicago Business Center for businesses around Bedford Park. That area's demographics are very different to the city Northside, Northern and West suburbs, which have a few upmarket meat departments at Costco Supercenters. We also have a few Restaurant Depots in the North/Northwest/West regions of Chicago Metro, which (again) I'll assume that Costco doesn't want to directly compete with Rest Depot.