McDonald’s set to open first secret spin-off chain CosMc’s

McDonald’s has unveiled they are opening a new spinoff project in Illinois called CosMc’s that will focus on selling beverages.

The fast-food giant is testing out the concept in Bolingbrook, Illinois this month, with a handful of outposts expected to open in the following months.

The menu will have a “nostalgic” feel with a range of drinks from frappes to boba teas, focusing on cold drinks.

CosMc’s menu announced its drinks menu, which includes items such as a S’mores Cold Brew, a Berry Hibiscus Sour-Ade and a Blackberry Mint Green Tea.

McDonald’s has described their drinks range as a “beverage exploration, with bold and unexpected flavour combinations, vibrant colours and functional boosts,” the company wrote in a news release.

Their drinks can also be customised with popping boba, flavoured syrups, energy, and vitamin C shots.

Keeping in line with a cafe-like style, there is a limited food menu designed to be picked up on the go.

Two sandwiches – the Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich and the Spicy Queso Sandwich – have been announced on the CosMc’s menu.

Small savoury treats such as McPop’s filled doughnuts, ice cream and brownies will also be available.

The menu was not complete without a few McDonald’s classics added to the list, such as Egg McMuffin sandwiches and McFlurrys.

By the end of 2024, McDonald’s hopes to open around 10 CosMc’s locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metro areas in Texas.

CosMc’s is named after a character from the fictional franchise McDonaldland that was captured in movies, video games, books and comics throughout the 1980s and 1990s to help promote the fast-food restaurant.

CosMc was an intergalactic alien who would crave McDonald’s food.

McDonald’s has often relied on mascots to help them draw people into their products, with Ronald McDonald putting in a lengthy shift over the years and, more recently, a McDonaldland character named Grimace who helped to sell the Grimace Shake earlier this year that went viral on social media.

Now, CosMc’s hopes to target people who need a mid-afternoon light snack or a pick-me-up drink.

“When 3pm hits, and you need a boost, take a trip to CosMc’s,” a narrator said in a video played to investors on Wednesday, according to CNBC.

While the likes of Starbucks dominate the coffee and beverage industry, CosMc’s will try to tap into this fast-growing “$100 billion category,” said McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski to investors.

McDonald’s already has a coffee and beverage range named McCafe, which hasn’t been forgotten.

The overseer of markets at McDonald’s, Jo Semples, said to investors that they “still haven’t realised our full global potential” when it comes to McCafe and hopes to “ establish McCafe as part of our core menu offering,” according to CNN.

On the other hand, CosMc’s purpose is to get more experimental with the beverages, serving up “otherworldly” vibrant flavours, without having to slow down the McDonald’s production line with complicated recipes.

McDonald’s shift to the cold beverages market came after Starbucks’ cold drinks made up 75 per cent of their beverage sales in the third quarter of 2023.

McDonald’s also announced their plans to open around 10,000 new fast-food locations globally by 2027, many of them being in Chima, bringing the number of their stores up to 50,000, the BBC reported.