There are exactly two food items in American retail with the institutional mythology of the Costco rotisserie chicken. One is the $1.50 hot dog. The other is a three-pound bird that has cost $4.99 since the 1990s, that Costco sells at a deliberate financial loss, and that members purchase at a rate of approximately 300 per minute during operating hours. As of 2026, the inflation-adjusted price of a $4.99 chicken from 1994 should be at least $11. Costco sells it for $4.99. The