CosMc's

CosMc's is an American fast food restaurant, a spin-off of McDonald's. 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. The CosMc’s Brand includes McCafe products sold at each location, which are also sold at McDonalds locations.

Background
The name CosMc originated as a McDonaldland character, appearing in McDonald's advertisements from 1986 to 1992. It is an extraterrestrial who "craves McDonald's food." 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.

In 2023, McDonald's started focusing more on its classic mascots and the Grimace Birthday Meal became a viral Internet phenomenon. 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."

Launch
The chain was announced in July 2023. The first CosMc's store opened on December 7, 2023 in the village of Bolingbrook, Illinois. The opening day saw a large queue of customers in the drive-thru which is the only way to order through the restaurant. 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.

By 2024, McDonald's plans to have ten operational stores, including nine in Texas. 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." In its first month, the store reportedly had twice the traffic of a regular McDonald's.

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

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

Design
CosMc's buildings are colored deep violet and have yellow graphics.