Costco opens first stand-alone gas station in Mission Viejo

Costco opened its first stand-alone gas station in Mission Viejo, California, with no warehouse attached, no food court and a setup built only for fuel. The site at 25732 El Paseo is listed as a “Gas Station Only” location on Costco’s own page, with members-only access, posted fuel prices and hours of 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.

For Costco workers, the significance is operational, not just real estate. A fuel-only site changes the flow of traffic that normally wraps around a club store, separates gas demand from parking-lot congestion, and creates a worksite with its own staffing patterns and safety routines. Planning documents tied to the Mission Viejo project described a 17,185-square-foot canopy and 40 fueling positions, a scale that makes the station feel less like an accessory to a warehouse and more like its own business line.

That scale fits Costco’s broader fuel business. The company said it operated 931 warehouses worldwide as of May 10, 2026, and reported fiscal third-quarter net sales of $69.15 billion, up 11.6% from a year earlier. Costco’s annual report data also show a fuel operation that keeps expanding, with 747 gas stations globally at the end of fiscal 2025, up from 719 in fiscal 2024. Industry reporting based on those filings put gasoline at about 10% of total net sales in fiscal 2025, down from about 12% in fiscal 2024, still a large enough share to justify testing a separate format.

Mission Viejo Mayor Bob Ruesch welcomed the project and said, “This 40-pump fuel station will help Mission Viejo and neighboring residents with their fueling needs.” The city’s support matters because the station sits inside the Freeway Center and adds a new traffic draw without bringing in the full footprint of a warehouse store.

Costco is already treating the concept as more than a one-off. A second standalone station is in development in Honolulu, Hawaii, as part of the Kapālama Kai project, which suggests Mission Viejo is being used to see whether fuel can scale independently of a warehouse. If it works, Costco gains a new way to grow in markets where full warehouse approvals are harder to win, while nearby clubs may get some pressure lifted from crowded pumps and parking lots.