Costco's hot dog deal, sold at its food courts, is still priced at $1.50 — exactly what it cost in 1985, before the Great Recession, the housing crisis, the pandemic and the latest bout of decades-high inflation.

Street hot dogs are boiled. This works for two reasons: it's both low-effort and impossible to screw up. However, to avoid overcooking, street dogs are stored in less-than boiling water. In the biz, this is known as “hot holding.” This is an easy way to keep food ready-to-serve over a long period of time.