CosMc's

"CosMc" redirects here. For the character, see McDonaldland § Characters.

CosMc's
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFast-food restaurant
FoundedDecember 7, 2023; 10 months ago (2023-12-07)
Bolingbrook, Illinois, U.S.[1]
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Number of locations
7[2]
Area served
Illinois, Texas
Key people
Chris Kempczinski (CEO)
Products
  • iced tea
  • lemonade
  • coffee
  • frappé coffee
  • slushes
  • sandwiches
  • baked goods
  • ice cream
  • soda
ParentMcDonald's
Websitecosmcs.com

CosMc's[a] is an American fast food restaurant, a spin-off of McDonald's.[4] It launched on December 7, 2023, with a drive-thru only concept location in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Illinois, with nine other locations expected to open in Texas in 2024.[needs update][5] The CosMc's Brand includes McCafe products sold at each location, which are also sold at McDonalds locations.

History

Background

The name CosMc originated as a McDonaldland character, appearing in McDonald's advertisements from 1986 to 1992.[6] It is an extraterrestrial who "craves McDonald's food."[4][7] In the 1990s, McDonald's tried to expand its business by buying Donatos Pizza, Boston Market and Chipotle Mexican Grill, but within a decade they had sold off their stakes.[8]

In 2023, McDonald's started focusing more on its classic mascots and the Grimace Birthday Meal became a viral Internet phenomenon.[4][8] The specialty coffee-selling business has been growing, which McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski describes as an "attractive and fast growing category". CNN described CosMc's as McDonald's "answer to Starbucks."[9]

Launch

The chain was announced in July 2023.[8] The first CosMc's store opened on December 7, 2023 in the village of Bolingbrook, Illinois.[10] The opening day saw a large queue of customers in the drive-thru which is the only way to order through the restaurant.[10] CNN reported that the Bolingbrook location saw more than twice the number of visits for a typical McDonald's location, citing data from Placer.ai, with the customer base largely skewed to those aged 22-29.[11]

By 2024, McDonald's plans to have ten operational stores, including nine in Texas.[7] McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said that the company would evaluate the ten stores over the following year, adding "Let's not get too excited."[12] In its first month, the store reportedly had twice the traffic of a regular McDonald's.[13]

Operations

CosMc's is intended to sell afternoon snacks and hot and cold drinks, and has been seen as an attempt by McDonald's to enter the United States coffee market[14] and the growing market for drive-thru beverages.[12]

CosMc's outlets will have a smaller footprint than a regular McDonald's.[4] CosMc's will sell food "aimed at people with a very sweet tooth."[7] It will sell a range of products that are not sold at McDonald's, such as 10 new beverages.[15] It will also sell some foods available at McDonald's, such as the Egg McMuffin.[7] The first CosMc's shop has four drive thrus.[16]

Design

CosMc's buildings are colored deep violet and have yellow graphics.[16]

Notes

  1. ^ Pronounced "cosmics"[3]

References

  1. ^ "McDonald's announces CosMc's spin-off restaurant opens this week in Bolingbrook, shares menu details". ABC 7 Chicago. December 6, 2023. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Our Locations". CosMc's. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Lai, Amanda (December 8, 2023). "First Look at CosMc's, the New Spinoff Concept from McDonald's". McMillanDoolittle. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Lucas, Amelia (December 6, 2023). "McDonald's to open first CosMc's spinoff restaurant this week". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "Bolingbrook CosMc's restaurant serves long line of eager patrons ahead of official opening". ABC7 Chicago. December 7, 2023. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "New McDonald's concept coming to Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook". CBS Chicago. November 30, 2023. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "McDonald's unveils US CosMc's trial and global expansion". December 7, 2023. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Lucas, Amelia (July 27, 2023). "McDonald's is creating a spinoff restaurant brand called CosMc's". CNBC. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  9. ^ Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (December 6, 2023). "McDonald's unveils CosMc's, its answer to Starbucks". CNN Business. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Customers line up for hours at drive-thru for new CosMc's". CBS Chicago. December 7, 2023. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Bhatnagar, Parija (January 24, 2024). "CosMc's first location had twice as much traffic last month than a typical McDonald's | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Maze, Jonathan (December 6, 2023). "Check out McDonald's new concept, CosMc's". Restaurant Business. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  13. ^ Bhatnagar, Parija (January 24, 2024). "CosMc's first location had twice as much traffic last month than a typical McDonald's | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "McDonald's unveils US CosMc's trial and global expansion". BBC News. December 7, 2023. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "CosMc's: McDonald's finally reveals menu, details about spinoff restaurant". TODAY.com. December 6, 2023. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "McDonald's spinoff CosMc pops up in Midwest". FOXBusiness. December 5, 2023. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.