COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / WHAT’S MCDONALD’S TELLING US ABOUT OUR AFTERNOON COFFEE DRINKING HABITS

News hot off the griddle: the braintrust at McDonald’s, the world’s largest chain of burger and beverage fare providers is tinkering with a new concept aimed at taking advantage of new opportunities to cash in on recent consumer trends. 

McDonald’s is test driving Cosmc’s in Chicagoland and Texas for the next year with eyes on expanding big time but only if the bean counters are pleased. So far, Cosmc’s is part of McDonald’s overall goal to open 10,000 units in four years. 

 Cosmetics for Cosmc’s brand new menu concept is leaning on a previous 1980s McDonald’s character (Cosmic) to attract more afternoon snackers and after schoolers). 

 Reason for McDonald’s rosy plans fall in line with the fast food industry noticing the following: 

--More than half of Starbucks sales are for cold coffee concoctions. The new McDonald’s Cosmc’s is hoping to fill usual slow mid-afternoon sales by putting mores cold drinks on the menu and adding more snacks. 

--So, we’ve learned that cold coffee drinks are far more popular than previously believed and the best time to hit fast food operations is in the mid-afternoon. --Also, mega fast fooders like McDonald’s are seeing big strides in home/office delivery options for consumers. 

--More drive up lanes and faster ordering tech are part of the faster foodie explosion. 

According to 1440 newsblog, McDonald's will open its first CosMc's restaurant in Bolingbrook, Illinois, this month as part of a limited test of its small-format, drinks-focused spinoff. The restaurant—inspired by the 1980s and 1990s alien character CosMc, who craved McDonald's food—taps into the nostalgia the company has stirred from recent marketing campaigns, including the Grimace Shake and the return of McNugget Buddies. 

Alongside familiar classics, like the Egg McMuffin and M&M's McFlurry, CosMc's will feature specialty lemonades, teas, cold coffee blends, and new options like s'mores cold brews, popping pear slushies, and a spicy queso sandwich. See the sample menu here. McDonald's plans to open 10 CosMc's locations by the end of 2024 in an effort to compete with the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin', reports 1440. 

McDonalds announced the other nine locations will be based across the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metro areas. The news comes after the fast food giant announced this week plans to open nearly 10,000 new stores globally by 2027.