Reddit Finally Solves an Enduring Costco Food Court Mystery

Reddit has solved an enduring Costco food court mystery, at long last putting to rest one of the most frequently asked questions about the warehouse store’s beloved commissary.

'Why Does Cheese Have More Calories?'

On Dec. 28, Reddit user u/theNakedMind posted a photo from their local North American food court’s menu. “Why does cheese [pizza] have more calories than pepperoni?” they captioned the pic, which shows that a slice of cheese pizza contains 710 calories compared with 650 calories in a slice of pepperoni. A whole cheese pizza contains 4,260 calories while a full-sized pepperoni pizza contains “only” 3,880 calories. “Do they add more cheese to the cheese pizza?” the user added?

And indeed, that does seem to be where the discrepancy comes into account. Immediately, helpful Reddit users swooped into the comments to offer an explanation for the surprising nutrition facts. “As someone who has made one: a pound and a half of cheese, compared to 14oz on the pep,” wrote u/NustyPistachio. “There is more cheese on a cheese slice than there is cheese on a pepperoni slice, and the extra cheese on the cheese slice has more calories than the pepperoni on a pepperoni slice does,” u/AleWort said. If I remember correctly a cheese pizza has 24 oz of cheese while the Pepperoni (and the combo before it went away) has 14 oz of cheese,” u/TastyWagyu added for some context.

Many Users Offered Answers and Solutions

“Pizzas are made [with] a recipe of which each pizza has the approximate same value of ingredients,” explained u/TheJeffAlimighty. “The value of pepperoni is replaced by the same value in cheese. Cheese has more calories.” Plus, “It is normal to remove cheese when toppings are added so the mass remains approximately the same to keep cook times consistent,” u/N238 said.

Many users weren’t shocked at the reason for the difference in calories, but that didn’t stop some from offering solutions to the perceived problem. “Call ahead and order a cheese pizza with ‘light cheese’ for closer to normal results,” offered u/MutedBrilliant1593.

“How do I order a cheese pizza with pepperoni?” asked one industrious commenter. “Order that then fold it in half,” returned another. “You now have the extra cheese with pepperoni, but only half a pizza.”