The love for coffee has always been good business for restaurant chains. Last year Starbucks opened 429 new stores and venues which is the most added locations by any chain in the United States. McDonald’s, hoping to capitalize on this growing industry, has just opened its new coffee line, CosMc’s. At the end of 2023, McDonald’s announced their new beverage-led restaurant with a menu filled with interesting and innovative beverage creations along with a small assortment of food items.
Hyrum Grinder (9) thinks that the introduction of CosMc’s will help McDonald’s to better rival Starbucks than the current McCafé.
“I think that in the U.S. it is a good idea to open CosMc’s because of the only current opinion of McCafé which was made to combat their rival Starbucks. I feel that what makes CosMc’s different from McCafé is that it has its own restaurant building. I will probably end up at CosMc’s in the future if they open in Spartanburg,” Grinder said.
The idea for the restaurant came from the growing demand for an afternoon “pick me up” beverage. Currently, McDonald’s doesn’t have a strong presence in the beverage industry and CosMc’s will allow customers to customize their drinks, which would be harder to do at regular McDonald’s restaurants. McDonald’s claims that CosMc’s menu is rooted in beverage exploration, with unexpected flavor and blend combinations, and vibrant and bold colors. Along with coffee CosMc’s is focusing on boba tea (bubble tea). According to the Einpresswire.com, the boba tea market is expected to triple during 2023-2030, reinforcing McDonald’s idea to focus on this beverage.
Johnny Rubio (11) thinks that CosMc’s will be unsuccessful.
“I think that McDonald’s making a restaurant in a sector that is already dominated by drink companies like Starbucks is not smart because no one will want to go to a McDonald’s drink place,” Rubio said
Another noticeable difference is the exclusion of lots of fast-food options. The menu highlights bite-sized food and small sandwiches along with the McMuffin and frozen dairy foods like the McFlurry. This smaller menu eliminates the need for large cooking equipment which reduces store footprints and buildout costs. CosMc’s also will have no inside seating or dining areas but will boast a 4-lane wide drive-thru.
The name CosMc is inspired by a McDonald’s alien mascot introduced in 1987. The name goes in line with the retro, out-of-this-world, look that was common for McDonald’s in the 1950s. Bringing back more nostalgic themes the CosMc’s sign displays retro font as well as one-half of the McDonald’s arch angled so that it looks like a shooting star, bringing more of an astronomical feel to the restaurant.
The first test CosMc’s has opened near Chicago in Bolingbrook, Illinois. CosMc’s is currently in a trial and test stage with only a few soft launch locations open for the moment. By the end of 2024, McDonald’s plans to open 10 more CosMc’s locations in the Dallas-San Antonio area of Texas.
Chris Kempczinski, the CEO of McDonald’s, has faith in the potential of CosMc’s.
“The big story is what CosMc’s says about McDonald’s and our potential. To think a little over a year ago, this was just an idea. And this week, we’re opening the first test site. We’re innovating, testing, and learning with speed,” Kempczinski said.
