First Look at CosMc’s, the New Spinoff Concept from McDonald’s

McDonald’s officially opened the first-of-its-kind spinoff concept CosMc’s (pronounced “cosmics”) this week in the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, IL. Named after an alien mascot used in McDonald’s advertising in the 1980’s, CosMc’s is a small-format, beverage-led concept that offers bold, customizable drinks and tasty snacks with the strategic aim of filling the afternoon sales slump that McDonald’s restaurants experience in the period between lunch and dinner.

Photo Credit: McMillanDoolittle

The first location features four drive-thru lanes where customers place their orders, then wait for a menu board notification directing them to pull up to one of three pickup windows to grab their order. The restaurant opened to much fanfare, with wait times reportedly peaking at 3 hours and the author waiting for 50 minutes even though she arrived just as the location opened at 6 am. The smaller footprint store does not include an indoor seating area, which will enable more cost-effective store buildouts and mirrors Starbuck’s strategic investment in drive-thru only formats. Located directly next door to – you guessed it – a McDonald’s, the first CosMc’s location was retrofitted in a former Boston Market location, so we can expect future iterations of the concept to look different as the company continues to evolve the format with new buildouts or selective retrofits.

Photo Credit: McMillanDoolittle

The CosMc’s brand is a nod to McDonald’s storied history, which is in-line with the nostalgia trend we are observing in food company branding, like the new retro logos recently rolled out from Pepsi and Burger King. CosMc’s pairs nostalgia with a more contemporary, “otherworldly” brand voice that feels more compelling and personable than the dated McCafe brand that has been in need of a refresh.

Photo Credit: CosMc’s

The CosMc’s menu exudes a strong emphasis on innovation and customization, with options to customize drinks with vitamin boost shots, bubble tea boba, fruit syrups, and dried fruits. The menu features familiar favorites, such as Egg McMuffins and Oreo McFlurries, alongside bold, trend-forward items such as Turmeric Spiced Lattes and Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwiches. The drink variety positions CosMc’s to compete for share from Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Dutch Bros, while addressing additional dayparts and dining needs of existing McDonald’s customers.

Photo Credit: CosMc’s

As experts who keep a finger on the pulse of innovation in the retail industry, we believe there is still runway for growth and innovation as McDonald’s continues to experiment and refine the CosMc’s concept. The company has seen success offering limited-time meal collaborations with celebrities, such as K-pop boyband BTS and rapper Travis Scott. Similar opportunities exist for formal celebrity or influencer beverage collaborations – a strategy that has been wildly successful for LA-based natural grocer Erewhon, whose collaborations include an $18 smoothie partnership with Hailey Bieber – or to offer informal cult favorites, like the Starbucks puppuccino.

Digital integrations were one aspect notably missing from the drive-thru experience. Online ordering was surprisingly not yet enabled and there was no option to order or pay via the McDonald’s app. In addition to these tablestakes offerings, with consumer opt-in, license plate recognition and menu board personalization could further enhance the customer experience and automation of operations would drive further efficiencies. In a future follow-up post, we will evaluate the experience again once online ordering has been implemented.

Photo Credit: McMillanDoolittle

McDonald’s leadership have emphasized that the CosMc’s spinoff is part of a limited pilot and are planning to launch about 10 additional pilot locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio markets by the end of 2024. The new beverage spinoff concept from McDonald’s has a mission to “lift humans up with every sip” and could soon be touching down near you.