Recently, there was a controversy on social media involving the so-called 'Taste Test' of CEOs trying food. It all started when Chris Kempczinski from McDonald's posted a video that was a total disaster, very artificial, very unconvincing. But the interesting part came later when Ron Vachris, the CEO of Costco, decided to show how it's really done.

In his video, Ron Vachris appears in the Costco food section, takes his hot dog with a soda, and eats it naturally, without poses. While speaking, he drops a phrase that stuck in everyone's mind: the $1.50 hot dog price won't change as long as he's there. That's what people wanted to hear. It contrasts quite a bit with the clumsiness of the McDonald's CEO.

What’s interesting about Ron Vachris is his background. He’s not an executive who came from outside with an MBA from a prestigious university. This guy started in 1982 as a forklift operator at Costco, over 40 years ago. He worked in warehouse operations, regional supervision, corporate management, and even led the real estate division. He knows the business from the inside, from the store floor. You can see it in how he moves, how he speaks, how he connects with what Costco represents.

In 2024, he became the CEO as part of a strategy that Costco has maintained for years: promoting from within, developing leaders who understand the company from the ground up. Ron Vachris embodies that perfectly. His focus is on operational efficiency, talent retention, cost control, and customer experience. He’s not someone who seeks to be everywhere; in fact, Costco maintains a low-profile policy with its executives.

The 'Taste Test' trend spread quickly. Tom Curtis from Burger King released a video 24 hours later, trying a Whopper with much more authenticity than Kempczinski. Wendy’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, A&W, Jack in the Box, and even airlines like Ryanair joined in. But Ron Vachris’s video was different because it didn’t seem like a forced marketing strategy, but simply a CEO eating in his own store and being honest about the value it offers.

That’s what makes Ron Vachris stand out in all this. While other executives were trying to go viral, he was just being authentic. And that resonated more than any planned campaign.