A secret offshoot of McDonald’s with “its own unique personality” is nearing opening outside Chicago and has observers snapping pictures of a potential menu rivaling Starbucks.
Adjacent to an existing restaurant in Bolingbrook, Illinois, construction of a new yellow and purple branded fast food establishment neared completion with a callback to the ’80s. Along with the resurgence of the Grimace mascot this year, the latest move from the franchise at the least has pulled its name from a decades-old alien character and will be known as CosMc’s.
Locals snagged images outside the premier location when signage was revealed featuring a solitary version of the iconic golden arches stylized much like a planetary ring.
#cosmcs #mcdonalds Belay my last, all signs are uncovered this evening and training & photos to be in progress this evening. I’ll hold on to the menu board photo for now. pic.twitter.com/jfznQHqdM0
— Scott Fredrickson (@skotfred) November 30, 2023
Others caught a reveal of a menu board that listed international menu items like McPops along with a wide array of drinks. While unclear if the posted offerings would be the official fare of the new restaurant, the listing included coffees, slushies, iced teas and lemonades, as well as items called Signature Galactic Boosts.
Additionally, there were sandwiches and snacks.
McDonald’s is launching a new concept and I was just there and grabbed pics of a whole new menu of items never been offered before
The concept is being launched in Bollingrbook, IL and it’s called CosMc’s
It’s not open yet and there was a full team of actors in the drive thru… pic.twitter.com/Z64g4ykZXT
— Iman Jalali (@Stealx) November 29, 2023
TikToker @snackolator 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.”
@snackolator I think the new CosMc’s will be a lot of fun and I am hoping McDonald’s keep bringing some of the fun McCafe items from around the world. What do you think of the new CosMc’s store and menu? #mcdonalds #cosmcs #mccafe #fastfood #fastfoodtok #macdonalds #mcdonaldslife #newfastfood #mccafetiktok #starbucks ♬ original sound – snackolator
During an earnings call earlier this year, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski touched on the new restaurant and the opportunity that opened up as consumers embraced express options in the wake of COVID.
“CosMc’s is a small-format concept with all the DNA of McDonald’s, but its own unique personality,” he described.
“A big reason that we can now look at [smaller models] is because of the growth that’s happened with the digital and delivery, where you don’t necessarily need the big dining rooms that you needed in our traditional restaurants,” explained the CEO. “So you’re now able to look at real estate sites that previously would have been sort of off-limits to us; those become opportunities.”
Kempczinski’s comments spoke directly to the reported $7.3 billion in earnings McDonald’s made through the first three quarters of 2023 from the heart of their business model — real estate.
Detailed by USA Today, “As of the third quarter of 2023, there are 41,200 McDonald’s locations in over 100 countries. And yet, the company itself operates only about 2,100. The rest are owned and operated by its many franchisees.”
The $7.3 billion in rental income represented 63.5% of franchisee-generated revenue for 2023 and 38% of the overall revenue for McDonald’s as its top source of revenue.
USA Today went on to note, “When McDonald’s decided to turn to a 95% franchised model, it affected the top line. Revenue is down about 11% over the past decade, but the company exchanged a low-margin revenue source (food sales) for a higher-margin one (franchise fees and rental income).”
Neither an opening date for CosMc’s nor other locations for its “limited geography” launch in 2024 were readily available but were anticipated for the upcoming investor’s day.
A look back at the original CosMc marketing can be viewed below via YouTube:
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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