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
McDonald's top-secret new spinoff CosMc's is about to open its first restaurant in Illinois, but the chain has yet to say exactly what it will serve.
The CosMc restaurant is nearing completion in Bolingbrook, Illinois, although a formal opening date has yet to be set.
It's bolted onto an existing McDonald's restaurant at the intersection in Chicago's suburbs — and was likely chosen because the fast-food giant's global headquarters are in the Windy City.
CosMcs – named after a retro McDonald's alien mascot – has yellow and purple branding and appears to be heavily focused on drive-thru.
Local passerby Scott Fredrickson captured the menu screens being tested. They showed off a range of teas and lemonades, sandwiches, soft serve ice cream and pastries – although it's unclear whether the menu is 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 building its new spin-off restaurant CosMc's in Illinois
Fast food fans have speculated that it could be a rival to Starbucks, which serves coffee and snacks similar to those already found in a McCafe. Some hope that CosMcs will also sell tempting McDonald's treats that are currently only available at overseas outlets.
CEO Chris Kempczinski unveiled plans for the restaurant in July when the company announced a 10.3 percent increase in sales as a result of the viral Grimace Birthday shake.
“CosMc's is a small-scale concept with all the DNA of McDonald's, but its own unique personality,” says Kempczinski.
Video made by ABC news showed the construction of the new restaurant in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
The purple and yellow painted storefront appears to have at least four drive-thru lanes.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski unveiled plans for the restaurant in July when the company announced that sales shot up 10.3 percent following the viral Grimace Birthday shake
Photos of the menu shared by TikToker @snackolator suggest that CosMc's aims to be a coffee drive-thru and will feature items from McDonald's international menu.
The TikToker said: 'The conventional thinking is that this is going to be some sort of competitor to Starbucks, where it's going to focus on the McCafe stuff, the coffee and the drinks, rather than serving burgers and fries, which makes even more sense as you realize that this CosMc's is being built right next to an existing McDonald's.'
Previews of the menu shared by the account show a wide variety of drinks, including a drink called signature galactic boosts, iced teas, lemonades, slushes, frappes, hot coffee and iced coffee.
The food menu includes sandwiches, various McMuffins, McFlurries, ice cream, pastries, 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 at McDonald's investor day 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 moved from a house in space when he heard about McDonald's burgers and fries.
The mascot appeared in an 1980s advertisement, which also featured Ronald McDonald, Grimace and McDonaldland's Professor.
It showed an object that looked like a UFO landing in front of a head and six arms. jumps out.
CosMc first appeared in the company's fictional world, McDonaldland, where Ronald McDonald and his other friends live. He has six arms and moved from a house in space when he heard about McDonald's burgers and fries
'Hi Earth people, CosMc here. I came from space on a trade mission,” CosMc said.
CosMc's return comes after the fast food chain brought fellow mascot Grimace back to prominence.
In June, McDonald's launched the Grimace Birthday shake, which subsequently grew into a viral TikTok trend.
The company generated billions of views on TikTok with content showing people pretending to die from drinking.
Following the viral trend, McDonalds reported a 10.3 percent increase in annual sales and reported net profit of $2.3 billion for the quarter ended June 30, up 94% from a year earlier.