It's the end of the road for CosMc's, the beverage-focused restaurant concept that fast-food giant McDonald's tested.
Chicago-based McDonald's on Friday said it was pulling the plug on its handful of CosMc's locations, a format it announced in July 2023. The concept was named after an alien character that appeared in McDonald’s ads in the 1980s and ’90s. The first one debuted in late 2023 in Bolingbrook, Illinois, near Chicago, with at least about 10 originally planned by the end of 2024. Five remain open, but not for long.
"Starting in late June, we will be closing all standalone pilot CosMc’s locations on a rolling basis and discontinuing the CosMc’s app," McDonald's said in a statement.
Instead, CosMc's-inspired beverages will begin being served at hundreds of McDonald’s restaurants, according to the burger chain.
"Building on the insights gained from the pilot standalone locations, CosMc’s-inspired flavors will be landing at McDonald’s as part of the upcoming U.S. beverage test, seamlessly blending out-of-this-world tastes into the McDonald's experience," the fast-food juggernaut said in a statement. "With our new dedicated category team focused on beverages, we know we can bring more delicious and innovative drinks to more fans."
CosMc's was "a multi-location, small format, beverage-focused concept" that allowed McDonald's "to test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes — without impacting the existing McDonald’s experience for customers and crew," according to the chain.
"The CosMc’s team was able to test-and-learn in real customer-facing environments, which allowed for greater agility and speed," McDonald's said. "Quick adds and edits to the menu based on feedback led to more focused choices for our fans as the test continued."