Whether a fast food lover or not, almost everyone on earth has been to a McDonald's once in their lives or has at least heard of it. It's nearly impossible not to have encountered this massive fast food chain with over 40,000 locations in over 100 countries.
However, despite being a leading fast food giant, there is one McDonald's concept that only a few have the pleasure of enjoying.
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During an earnings call in December 2023, McDonald's (MCD) announced the launch of CosMc's, its newest restaurant concept with a smaller format. That same month, it opened its first-ever location in Illinois as a test run for this new idea.
CosMc's is a space-themed café focusing on uniquely crafted beverages, including coffee, frappés, iced teas, lemonades, and energy drinks. It also has multiple breakfast items, including its iconic McMuffins and new specialty sandwiches, as well as baked goods, snacks, and soft-serve ice cream.
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Before its opening day, the announcement of this new concept went viral on all social media platforms, making its debut a massive media success. This resulted in extremely long lines and tons of free promo, thanks to content creators who traveled to the opening to record for millions of social media audiences to view.
"People lined up for hours, with some fans even flying in from as far as the UK and France, to experience CosMc’s," said McDonald's in a press release.
CosMc's viral success led to the opening of seven total locations nationwide, one in Illinois and six in Texas. However, McDonald's recently gave a bittersweet update regarding the future of CosMc's.
McDonald's makes a major announcement about the future of CosMc's
McDonald's provided an update on its website regarding the future of CosMc's by stating it had been testing different location sizes and setups for this new concept to see which one best resonated with customers.
After a year of testing, McDonald's announced it would be closing three remodeled CosMc's locations that were previously regular-size McDonald's restaurants to focus on small-format stores. This will aid in the growth of this new concept so it can eventually expand to more states across the country.
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However, McDonald's will also open two new CosMc's locations in Texas this year with smaller-format stores. The company claims this strategy has proven more effective thanks to its increased knowledge in this new space.
Although McDonald's has yet to reveal the exact cities in Texas where the new CosMc's stores will be, it has removed two stores and added an Allen, Texas, location with a coming soon label.
McDonald's hints at new beverage and food additions to CosMc's menu
The year-long testing process has also helped McDonald's analyze which items are most popular among CosMc's customers. The company has considered that feedback to revamp its menu, which could potentially mean the development of new food and beverage additions.
"CosMc’s customers have responded positively to the menu and embraced the bold flavors!"
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Although McDonald's didn't provide any hints about new food and beverage items, it did reveal that CosMc's' best-sellers include the Island Pick Me Up Punch, Churro Cold Brew Frappe, and the Sour Energy Burst, with the Fruity Popping Boba being its top add-on. Regarding its food items, Savory Hashbrown Bites is a best-seller, and McPops is the top-selling sweet.
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