McDonald’s new chain CosMc’s will open 10 new stores by the end of 2024

CosMc’s, the new space-themed spinoff from McDonald’s, opened its first location on Dec. 8 in a suburb of Chicago. The drive-through concept offers a Starbucks-meets-Sonic menu, with fruity and coffee-flavored salads and drinks.

The next 10 CosMc’s will open in Texas by the end of 2024, in both the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metro areas, a McDonald’s spokesperson told Quartz.

CosMc’s is just one of many ways McDonald’s is looking to expand beyond its current 13,000 U.S. locations. The burger chain said last week that it plans to open 10,000 new restaurants in total over the next four years, mostly abroad.

McDonald’s said its new CosMc’s restaurants are just a pilot test. The company did not respond to Quartz’s questions about whether it plans to expand the new brand beyond Texas and Illinois.

Specialty beverages and coffees represent a $100 billion market that McDonald’s has yet to tap, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors in a Dec. 6 presentation.

Menu items

🍹 Some fruity drinks and slushes

• Sour Cherry Energy Burst (comes with boba): $5.89
• Berry Hibiscus Sour-Ade: $5.39
• Pomegranate Hibiscus Slush: $5.39

☕️ Coffee flavor

• Chai Frappé Burst: $5.89
• Churro Frappé: $5.79

🥨 Snacks

• Spicy Queso Sandwich: $4.99
• Pretzel Bites: $3.99
• McPops (aka donuts): $3.79

Mixed reviews

Kempczinski said last week that the inspiration for the CosMc’s brand was a curious question the company’s leadership team asked themselves: “What would happen if a McDonald’s character from the 1980s was part alien, part surfer, part robot . .. a restaurant in 2023?”

A fun idea that courts the past and future, sure – but customers and critics in the present have mixed reviews. A review in The Guardian Called CosMc’s Galactic Booster drink “boring sugar water that claimed to be green tea” and described the Churro Frappé as “so intensely bitter and strong I could feel it in my nostrils.”

Social media users gave more positive reviews about the restaurant. One Reddit user hailed the Pomegranate Hibiscus grind and the McPops as “delicious,” but complained that she waited in line for four and a half hours for her order. Other reviewers have also spoken long wait timeswhich started about 30 minutes.