US Stock Futures Steady as Earnings Season and Jobs Data Take Center Stage 
Starbucks Raises 2026 Outlook as Turnaround Strategy Boosts Sales and Earnings 
Samsung Reports Record Profit as AI Boom Drives Memory Chip Demand 
Middle East Conflict Impacts Australia and New Zealand Businesses 
US Dollar Weakens as Yen Surges Amid Japan Intervention and Central Bank Moves 
NAB First-Half Earnings Miss Forecasts Amid Rising Global Risks 
Asian Stock Markets Rise Amid Wall Street Rally and U.S.-Iran Tensions 
GameStop Proposes $56 Billion eBay Acquisition in Bold Strategic Move 
Qualcomm Stock Surges Despite Weak Guidance After Q2 2026 Earnings Beat 
Oil Prices Ease Slightly as Strait of Hormuz Tensions and U.S.-Iran Talks Support Market Above $100 
Berkshire Hathaway Meeting Sees Shift as Greg Abel Steps Into Leadership Spotlight 
Markets Stay Strong Despite Oil Shock Concerns as Earnings Drive Investor Confidence 
Oil Prices Hold Above $100 Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions and U.S.-Iran Uncertainty 
Fed’s Goolsbee Warns Inflation Remains Elevated, Signals Caution on Rate Cuts 
Dollar Gains Slightly as Yen Volatility Continues After Japan Intervention 
Alphabet Earnings Surge on AI Growth, Cloud Revenue, and Strong Search Performance 
Anthropic’s $1.5B AI Venture with Wall Street Firms Targets Private Equity Market 
Costco is set to bring back its popular food courts and food sampling corners next month. With the new less restrictive safety COVID-19 protocols, the American membership-only retail giant decided it is time for the return of the stores’ main fixtures that customers came to love.
As per Fox Business, starting in June, shoppers will be able to see the churros again in the wholesale warehouses. The food courts and food samplings will be making their comeback as well.
Food court revivals at Costco
Food courts and dine-in areas are one of the things that shoppers love when in Costco, but these had to be closed down when the coronavirus pandemic hit the whole world last year. And now that the government is starting to ease the safety restrictions, companies are also slowly bringing back their businesses.
For Costco, it is not just the grocery area that is open, but its food corners that have been closed for a year now will be revived and ready to serve again in the first week of June. By June 7, the tables and seating for diners will be back, and it was said that the opening of these food courts is also to celebrate the slowdown of the pandemic.
"The first wave of locations, about 170 of our 550 ish locations in the U.S., will be activated by the first week of June," Richard Galanti, Costco’s chief financial officer, said during the most recent investors’ call. "Increased safety protocols are and will be in place, including all samples prepared behind plexiglass, prepared in smaller batches for better safety control, and distributed to members one at a time."
Costco surpasses revenue estimates
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue that was reported on Thursday surpassed the analysts' estimates. The company is positive that its sales will continue to grow as the demand is increasing again, even in the areas of home furnishing and jewelry that have plummeted during the pandemic.
Apparently, Costco is one of the businesses that is benefiting from the government’s stimulus checks and toning down of the restrictions related to coronavirus. More people are also going out now to buy their groceries since a number of Americans have already received their COVID-19 vaccines.
