Fast-food giant McDonald’s has announced the launch of a new spin-off brand, CosMc’s, which will focus on takeaway snacks and drinks.
The first branch of CosMc’s will open in Bolingbrook, Illinois, with a further nine locations set to open in Texas before the end of next year.
The idea is that McDonald’s will then monitor the sites for a year to test their popularity, before deciding whether to rollout CosMc’s more widely.
CosMc’s is named after a McDonaldland character that appeared in the 1980s and 90s. CosMc was an alien that craved McDonald’s food. The characters from McDonaldland – previously largely forgotten in this century – seem to be making a comeback, as the success of the Grimace Birthday Meal earlier in the year.
While McDonald’s had announced plans for the spin-off in July, until now details had been thin on the ground. It seems that McDonald’s is aiming CosMc’s at the fast-growing afternoon snacking segment – a video shown to investors included the tagline ‘when 3pm hits, and you need a boost, take a trip to CosMc’s’
However, customers will notice some similarities to the regular restaurants on the menu, with items such as egg McMuffins and McFlurries included. But there will be some new items such as Churro Frappes and pretzel bites.
McDonald’s plans for CosMc’s sites to be smaller than its regular brand restaurants, with more of a focus on drive-thru lanes – some sites will have multiple lanes. Customers will be able to pay at the speaker by using their credit card, which will speed up service times.
If the concept proves successful, then it could be rolled out not just in America but across the world, where drive-through takeaways are also growing in popularity.
