McDonald's top-secret new chain CosMc's prepares to open its first location in Illinois, as speculation mounts it'll be Starbucks rival serving NEW menu items
- Construction is underway in Illinois on McDonald’s new spin-off restaurant
- CosMc’s is named after an alien mascot who was introduced in the 1980s
- The menu appears to rival Starbucks and has international menu items
McDonald’s top-secret new spin-off CosMc’s is on the verge of opening its first restaurant in Illinois – but the chain has yet to say what exactly it’ll serve.
The CosMc’s restaurant is on the verge of completion in Bolingbrook, Illinois – although a formal opening date has yet to be set.
It has been bolted onto an existing McDonald’s restaurant in the suburban Chicago intersection – and was likely chosen because the fast food giant’s global headquarters is based in the Windy City.
CosMcs – named after a retro McDonald’s alien mascot – has yellow and purple branding and appears to be heavily drive-thru focused.
Local passer-by Scott Fredrickson captured its menu screens being tested. They showed an array of teas and lemonades, sandwiches, soft serve and baked goods – although its unclear if the menu is a dummy or authentic.
The new purple and yellow colored storefront is named after CosMc, a mascot introduced in the 1980s
The menu is said to rival Starbucks and offer items from international menus
McDonald’s is breaking ground in Illinois on its new spin-off restaurant, CosMc’s
Fast food fans have speculated it may be a rival to Starbucks that serves coffee and snacks similar to those already found in a McCafe. Some hope CosMcs may also sell tantalizing McDonald’s treats currently only available at foreign outlets.
CEO Chris Kempczinski unveiled plans for the restaurant in July when the company announced sales rocketed by 10.3 percent due to the viral Grimace Birthday shake.
‘CosMc’s is a small-format concept with all the DNA of McDonald’s, but its own unique personality,’ said Kempczinski.
Video captured by ABC News showed construction at the new restaurant in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
The purple and yellow painted storefront appears to have at least four drive-thru lanes.
Photos of the menu shared by TikToker @snackolator speculate CosMc’s aims to be a coffee drive-thru and has items from McDonald’s international menu.
The TikToker said, ‘The kind of conventional thinking is that this is going to be something of a competitor to like Starbucks, where it’s going to focus on the McCafe stuff and the coffee and the drinks as opposed to serving burgers and fries, which makes even more sense when you realize that this CosMc’s is being built directly next to an existing McDonald’s.’
Previews of the menu shared by the account show a large variety of drinks including a drink called signature galactic boosts, iced teas, lemonades, slushes, frappes, hot and iced coffee.
On the food menu, there are sandwiches, several McMuffins, McFlurries, ice cream, baked goods, snack boxes and items from the international menu such as McPops.
The company will bring CosMc’s restaurants to a handful of areas in ‘a limited geography’ in early 2024.
More details will be shared on McDonald’s’ investor day which is set to take place in December.
CosMc first appeared in the company’s fictional world, McDonaldland, where Ronald McDonald and his other friends live.
He has six arms and relocated from a home in outer-space when he found out about burgers and fries from McDonald’s.
The mascot appeared in a 1980s ad which also featured Ronald McDonald, Grimace and McDonaldland’s Professor.
It showed an object which appeared to be a UFO landing before a head and six arms. pops out.
CosMc first appeared in the company’s fictional world, McDonaldland, where Ronald McDonald and his other friends live. He has six arms and relocated from a home in outer-space when he found out about burgers and fries from McDonald’s
‘Hi-ho Earth people, CosMc here. I popped in from outer space on a trade mission,’ CosMc said.
The return of CosMc comes after the fast-food chain brought fellow mascot Grimace back to the forefront.
In June, McDonald’s launched the Grimace Birthday shake which then turned into a viral TikTok trend.
The company generated billions of views on TikTok with content showing people pretending to die due to the drink.
Following the viral trend, McDonalds reported a 10.3 percent increase in annual sales and reported net income of $2.3 billion for the quarter ended June 30, up 94% from a year earlier.
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