CosMc's

CosMc's was an experimental restaurant concept created by McDonald's to test a beverage-led, drive-thru-oriented format separate from its conventional restaurants. The concept was announced in 2023 and took its name from CosMc, an extraterrestrial McDonaldland character used in McDonald's advertising from 1986 to 1992. In the fictional advertising, CosMc was characterized by an appetite for McDonald's food and an association with the planet CosMcland. The revived use of the character's name connected the pilot to McDonald's broader effort during the early 2020s to draw renewed attention to its heritage characters and recognizable brand assets. The first CosMc's restaurant opened on December 7, 2023, in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was a drive-thru-only location, with multiple lanes intended to support quick beverage and snack purchases. The format was designed around afternoon occasions rather than the full-day meal pattern associated with a standard McDonald's restaurant. Its menu emphasized specialty hot and cold drinks, including McCafe items and exclusive beverage combinations, alongside a smaller selection of familiar McDonald's food and snacks. The physical design used deep violet coloring and yellow graphic elements, giving the concept a visual identity distinct from the familiar red-and-yellow McDonald's restaurant palette. McDonald's presented CosMc's as a limited proof of concept rather than an immediate national rollout. The company planned a small group of test locations, including nine sites in Texas during 2024, and repeatedly described the experiment cautiously. The strategic rationale was tied to the growth of specialty coffee and drive-thru beverages in the United States. CosMc's was widely interpreted as McDonald's attempt to compete more directly for beverage occasions associated with coffee and specialty-drink chains, while using its own operational knowledge, purchasing scale, menu development capabilities, and existing McCafe experience. Initial customer interest was strong. Reporting based on location-visit data indicated that the Bolingbrook restaurant attracted substantially more visits than a typical McDonald's site during its early period, with younger adults forming a significant part of the customer base. However, the high level of trial did not establish that the concept could deliver a sustainable operating model. CosMc's menu and service proposition introduced additional complexity, while its limited footprint and specialized format did not necessarily provide the same familiarity or broad occasion coverage as a conventional McDonald's restaurant. In May 2024, CosMc's introduced a dedicated mobile application, mobile ordering, and the CosMc's Club rewards program. These tools were intended to support repeat visits and give McDonald's additional insight into customer behavior during the test. In early 2025, McDonald's adjusted the pilot by closing three larger-format sites and planning two smaller Texas locations, indicating that the company was refining the format rather than proceeding directly to expansion. On May 23, 2025, McDonald's announced that the CosMc's concept would cease operations at the five remaining locations, consisting of four in Texas and one in Illinois. The company said that the rewards program, mobile ordering, and app would be discontinued and that physical locations would close on a rolling basis. McDonald's also said it intended to transfer some of the strongest beverage ideas tested through CosMc's into selected standard McDonald's restaurants. Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski described the pilot as a way of isolating operational complexity in a separate concept. He cited problems including brand contradiction, a lack of a sufficiently compelling overall experience, and significant deterioration in revenue and sales as reasons for ending the experiment. CosMc's therefore remains notable less as a lasting chain than as a controlled innova…

CosMc's emerged from McDonald's search for growth in specialty beverages, coffee, and drive-thru occasions. Its name revived CosMc, an extraterrestrial McDonaldland character used in advertising during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The character's return formed part of a wider effort by McDonald's to make greater use of familiar brand characters and nostalgia-driven assets. The concept also followed the growing importance of specialty coffee and cold drinks in quick-service restaurant competition. McDonald's announced the concept in July 2023. Rather than presenting it as a conventional chain rollout, the company framed CosMc's as a limited test. The first location opened in Bolingbrook, Illinois, on December 7, 2023. It operated exclusively through the drive-thru and used a smaller footprint than a typical McDonald's restaurant. The site included four drive-thru lanes and was designed for rapid purchases of drinks and snacks. Its deep violet exterior and yellow graphics distinguished it visually from the standard McDonald's restaurant system. The menu combined existing McCafe products and selected familiar McDonald's foods with exclusive specialty beverages and snack items. The offer was aimed particularly at afternoon demand, with hot and cold drinks positioned as the central reason to visit. This gave McDonald's a way to test new beverage recipes, combinations, packaging, service processes, and pricing without immediately changing the operating model of its main restaurant estate. Early public interest was considerable. The Bolingbrook site generated long drive-thru queues at launch, and reported location-visit comparisons showed traffic well above that of a typical McDonald's during the initial period. The audience was reported to skew toward younger adults. McDonald's nevertheless maintained that the initial locations were a controlled experiment. The company planned additional Texas sites, but did not commit to broad expansion before evaluating customer behavior, economics, and operational complexity. In May 2024, CosMc's added a dedicated app, mobile ordering, and CosMc's Club rewards. These capabilities were intended to encourage repeat visits and help McDonald's understand whether a specialized beverage concept could build habitual demand. During early 2025, the company adjusted the pilot by removing three larger-format locations and planning two smaller Texas sites. This change suggested an attempt to reduce capital and operating complexity while preserving the most promising elements of the proposition. The test ultimately did not lead to a permanent standalone chain. On May 23, 2025, McDonald's announced that operations would end at all five remaining locations, four in Texas and one in Illinois. It also stated that the rewards program, mobile ordering, and app would be withdrawn, with location closures occurring on a rolling basis. McDonald's said the pilot had generated useful learning and that some of the most successful beverage concepts could be tested in regular McDonald's restaurants. Chris Kempczinski characterized the standalone format as a means of isolating complexity, but identified brand contradiction, an insufficient customer experience, and steep declines in revenue and sales as factors behind the decision to shut the concept. CosMc's history thus represents a short-lived brand experiment in menu innovation, digital engagement, and specialized drive-thru retail rather than an enduring restaurant chain.

1. 2025Store-format revision

   Three larger-format locations were closed and two smaller Texas locations were planned as McDonald's refined the pilot.

   Source
2. 2025McDonald's ends the CosMc's experiment

   McDonald's announced on May 23 that the five remaining locations and associated digital services would be shut down, while selected beverage learnings would be tested in standard restaurants.

   Source
3. 2024CosMc's expands its pilot to Texas

   McDonald's planned nine Texas locations as part of a limited test of the format.

   Source
4. 2024CosMc's Club and digital ordering launch

   The brand introduced its app, mobile ordering, and CosMc's Club rewards program in May.

   Source
5. 2023CosMc's concept is announced

   McDonald's announced a beverage-focused experimental restaurant concept under the revived CosMc's name.

   Source
6. 2023First location opens in Bolingbrook

   The first CosMc's restaurant opened on December 7 in Bolingbrook, Illinois, operating as a drive-thru-only site.

   Source
7. 1986CosMc character appears in McDonaldland advertising

   The CosMc name originated with an extraterrestrial McDonaldland character used in McDonald's advertising from 1986 to 1992.

   Source

Experimental, beverage-led, drive-thru-focused casual dining concept designed to test specialty drinks, afternoon snacking, digital ordering, and a smaller restaurant footprint.

• Specialty hot beveragesBeverages2023

  Hot specialty drinks formed one of the core menu pillars of CosMc's. The concept used McDonald's McCafe knowledge while testing new combinations and presentation outside the regular restaurant menu. These products were intended to support coffee and afternoon beverage occasions in a drive-thru-focused setting.

• Specialty cold beveragesBeverages2023

  Cold specialty drinks were central to the concept's attempt to participate in the expanding U.S. market for drive-thru beverages. CosMc's offered exclusive drink combinations alongside selected McCafe products, allowing McDonald's to evaluate demand for more elaborate cold-drink offerings.

• McCafe productsBeverages2023

  CosMc's carried a selection of McCafe beverages already associated with McDonald's. Including familiar products helped connect the experimental concept to the parent brand while allowing the store to test a more beverage-specialized menu and service model.

• CosMc's ClubDigital service2024

  CosMc's Club was the concept's dedicated rewards program, introduced with mobile ordering and a separate application in May 2024. It was designed to encourage repeat purchases and support customer learning during the limited pilot.

• 2025End the CosMc's standalone conceptStrategy

  The pilot generated operational learnings but did not establish a sufficiently attractive standalone model. McDonald's cited brand contradiction, a limited experience, and steep declines in revenue and sales.

  What changed. On May 23, McDonald's announced the closure of the five remaining locations and the withdrawal of the app, rewards program, and mobile ordering.

  Aftermath. McDonald's said that selected successful beverage ideas from CosMc's would be tested in several standard McDonald's restaurants.

  Source
• 2024Add digital ordering and loyalty toolsStrategy

  McDonald's sought to convert initial trial into repeat behavior and gather more detailed information about customers using the experimental concept.

  What changed. CosMc's launched a dedicated app, mobile ordering, and CosMc's Club in May 2024.

  Aftermath. The digital services remained part of the pilot until McDonald's announced their discontinuation as the concept was closed.

  Source
• 2023Launch a beverage-led experimental restaurantProduct launch

  McDonald's wanted to explore specialty beverages, coffee occasions, afternoon snacking, and drive-thru demand through a format separate from its standard restaurants.

  What changed. The company created CosMc's, using a smaller footprint, a drive-thru-only initial location, exclusive drinks, and selected McCafe and McDonald's products.

  Aftermath. The concept attracted strong initial interest and was tested through additional locations, but later faced questions about complexity, brand fit, and financial performance.

  Source

• 2025McDonald's refines CosMc's store footprint

  The company closed three larger-format pilot locations and planned two smaller Texas sites as it evaluated the operating model.

  Other
  Source
• 2025McDonald's announces the end of CosMc's operations

  On May 23, McDonald's announced that the five remaining CosMc's locations would close and that the app, rewards program, and mobile ordering would be discontinued. The company planned to carry selected beverage learnings into standard McDonald's restaurants.

  Product generation
  Source
• 2024CosMc's introduces app, mobile ordering, and rewards program

  CosMc's Club, mobile ordering, and a dedicated app were introduced to support repeat use and collect customer feedback during the pilot.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2023McDonald's announces CosMc's concept

  McDonald's announced CosMc's as a limited experimental concept focused on specialty beverages and drive-thru service.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2023First CosMc's location opens in Bolingbrook

  The first drive-thru-only CosMc's restaurant opened in Bolingbrook, Illinois, on December 7, beginning McDonald's formal pilot.

  Product launch
  Source

1. CosMc's