McDonald’s to open first CosMc’s spinoff restaurant this week

McDonald’s will open the first location of its new spinoff brand CosMc’s this week in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

The fast-food giant plans to open 10 CosMc’s locations, including nine restaurants in Texas, by the end of 2024 in a test. McDonald’s will then spend a year analyzing data to decide whether it will expand the small-format chain.

The name for the new brand comes from CosMc, a McDonaldland mascot that appeared in advertisements in the late 1980s and early 1990s. CosMc is an alien from outer space who craves McDonald’s food. The company has leaned more into marketing its mascots after seeing success with the Grimace Birthday Meal earlier this year.

The burger chain first revealed it was creating CosMc’s as a spinoff in July, but withheld more details about its plans. Photos of the Bolingbrook location surfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this week.

With a menu that includes old favorites such as Egg McMuffins and M&M McFlurries, and new items such as Churro Frappes and pretzel bites, McDonald’s is positioning CosMc’s as a fast, convenient way to grab a pick-me-up snack or coffee.

“When 3 p.m. hits, and you need a boost, take a trip to CosMc’s,” a narrator said in a video shown to investors Wednesday.

McDonald’s specifically set out to create a brand that could sell customizable drinks and coffee popular in the afternoon segment.

“This is a $100 billion category growing faster than the rest of the [informal eating-out segment] and with superior margins,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors.

CosMc’s restaurants will have a smaller real-estate footprint than a typical McDonald’s location, but the new locations are testing a range of layouts, including multiple drive-thru lanes. Customers using credit cards will also be able to pay at the drive-thru speaker, speeding up service times.

The announcement was part of…