Latest news with #CosMc's-inspired
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
McDonald's Is Discontinuing These Menu Items—but It's Not All Bad
McDonald's just announced a big change that'll impact several of its store locations. The news follows insights shared earlier this year by McDonald's CEO about plans to introduce CosMc's-inspired beverages to its 2023, McDonald's debuted a new spin-off restaurant focused on specialty beverages in Illinois. Although customers reported hours-long wait times, bribes, and what seemed like an endless line of cars, that didn't dampen the mood—fans were overall very excited to be at the world's very first CosMc's. Named after a long-forgotten mascot from McDonaldland, CosMc's opening signaled a new turn for the Golden Arches. With a vibrant menu that featured several first-of-their-kind drinks, like the Churro Cold Brew Frappé, CosMc's debut solidified McDonald's position as a worthwhile competitor to beverage giants like Starbucks and Dunkin'. But now, that's all about to change. McDonald's has announced it will be closing all five of its CosMc's locations—but there is a silver lining to all this. According to a statement by McDonald's, CosMc's locations will start closing on a rolling basis beginning late June, and it will also discontinue service on the CosMc's app. With an extensive beverage menu that ranges from iced tea to coffee, lemonade, smoothies, and frappés, CosMc's offerings are bold, eclectic, and, to no surprise, quickly became fan favorites. If you aren't able to try any of its innovative drinks like the Popping Pear Slush, a prickly pear-flavored slushie topped with popping candy, before it closes, there is some good news. Although CosMc's stores are closing, McDonald's said that the concept behind CosMc's was as a "launchpad for learning" that was developed to "test new, bold flavors" and explore McDonald's potential in the specialty beverages sector. "Building on the insights gained from the pilot standalone locations," the announcement reads. "CosMc's-inspired flavors will be landing at McDonald's as part of the upcoming US beverage test, seamlessly blending out of this world tastes into the McDonald's experience." The news confirms what McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski had revealed during the fast food giant's 2025 Q1 Earnings Call earlier this year, when Kempczinski briefly mentioned that McDonald's will be expanding its beverage menu. It's hard to tell whether McDonald's will roll out CosMc's beverages one-to-one in its stores, but the announcement signals a new beginning for the Golden Arches. Here's hoping we'll soon be able to grab otherworldly sips like the Iced French Toast Galaxy Latte alongside the new McCrispy Strips, all from one place. Read the original article on ALLRECIPES Erreur lors de la récupération des données Connectez-vous pour accéder à votre portefeuille Erreur lors de la récupération des données Erreur lors de la récupération des données Erreur lors de la récupération des données Erreur lors de la récupération des données
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
McDonald's To Close All Spinoff Branches It Launched Across US
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. McDonald's will be closing the remaining branches of its beverage-focused spinoff, CosMc's next month. The company announced the decision last Friday, less than two years after CosMc's was launched. As a result, McDonald's will be closing CosMc's locations on a "rolling basis" and discontinuing the loyalty reward app. Why It Matters While the five stand-alone locations will begin closing next month, McDonald's said that it will incorporate the insights gained from the 18-month CosMc's experiment—described as a "launchpad for learning" for the entire Golden Arches brand. As a result, it said certain flavors inspired by CosMc's will be making their way onto the main menu at "hundreds" of U.S. restaurants. What To Know McDonald's launched the first CosMc's in December 2023, before rolling out further locations in a "10-store test." The initiative was viewed as a way for McDonald's to capture some market share from competitors such as Starbucks and Dunkin'. On Friday, McDonalds said that CosMc's began with the belief that the company "had the right to win in the fast-growing beverage space" and would allow it to "test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes—without impacting the existing McDonald's experience for customers and crew." It added that "CosMc's-inspired beverages" will be arriving at McDonald's locations in the U.S. as art of the company's upcoming "beverage test." Customers place their orders at CosMc's on December 11, 2023 in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Customers place their orders at CosMc's on December 11, 2023 in Bolingbrook, its first-quarter earnings call in early May, CEO Chris Kempczinski said that the company would be incorporating "new menu items inspired by CosMc's" at existing McDonald's locations. Kempczinski did not specify which items would make their way onto the McDonald's menu, but Fortune identified the most popular CosMc's drinks as the Sour Cherry Energy Burst, Churro Cold Brew Frappe, and Island Pick Me Up Punch. During the call, Kempczinski noted that the CosMc's "test" provided valuable insights for the company, including the discovery that McDonald's customers prefer ordering food alongside their beverages, rather than having the latter as a stand-alone order. "Food is still going to always be an important part of whatever our beverage offering is because that's consumers' expectation for the McDonald's brand," he said. The decision to shutter the alien-themed spinoff also follows a weak quarter for the company. In early May, McDonald's announced that same-store sales had fallen by 3.6 percent in the U.S., the largest decline since 2020. What People Are Saying McDonald's in a statement on Friday, said: "By creating a Learning Lab—in a way that only McDonald's can—the CosMc's team was able to test-and-learn in real customer-facing environments, which allowed for greater agility and speed. Quick adds and edits to the menu based on feedback led to more focused choices for our fans as the test continued. "We've learned so much, so quickly from the CosMc's test. As part of this next testing phase, starting in late June, we will be closing all stand-alone pilot CosMc's locations on a rolling basis and discontinuing the CosMc's app." McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski, during the company's Q1 earnings call, said: "Increasingly, we're competing against specialists, and so we're bringing a specialist focused into McDonald's. In beverages, for example, we've discovered some interesting learnings through our CosMc's test, which has better informed our understanding of consumers' customization preferences and interests in new emerging beverage categories. "Later this year, in partnership with our franchisees, we'll be launching a beverage test in the U.S. in some of our existing McDonald's restaurants that will incorporate new menu items inspired by CosMc's." What Happens Next? The company announced that the remaining five CosMc's locations—one in Illinois and four in Texas—will shut down by the end of June, along with the discontinuation of their stand-alone app and loyalty program.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
McDonald's Closes Restaurants, Scraps Starbucks Rival
McDonald's has announced it is closing its CosMc's restaurants, which had been described as an attempt to rival Starbucks, with "CosMc's-inspired flavors" instead being deployed to conventional McDonald's sites as part of an "upcoming U.S. beverage test." Newsweek contacted McDonald's for comment on Monday via email outside of regular office hours. McDonald's announced it was launching standalone CosMc sites, named after a McDonaldland alien mascot, in 2023 with restaurants planned in Illinois and Texas. CosMc focused heavily on hot and cold drinks in a move the BBC suggested was aimed at competing in the "fast-coffee space" with companies such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Closing its CosMc sites suggests McDonald's has failed to build a competitive rival to these big hitters in the beverage market, though the company insists it will be applying lessons learned to its other restaurants. In a statement released on May 23, McDonald's said that from late June it would be "closing all standalone pilot CosMc's locations on a rolling basis and discontinuing the CosMc's app." However, the company also said that, "building on the insights" it gained from the CosMc pilot, "CosMc's-inspired flavors will be landing at McDonald's as part of the upcoming U.S. beverage test." According to ABC News, McDonald's ended up opening eight CosMc's restaurants or drive-through sites, one near its Chicago headquarters and the other seven in Texas, with an initial plan to open 10 in the Lone Star State. However only five of the CosMc's branches were still open when Friday's announcement was made. The locations focused heavily on drinks such as churro frappé and boba drinks, with a smaller selection of food including McDonald's classics like the McFlurry and McMuffin. However, the launch in December 2023 coincided with a boycott campaign targeted at McDonald's after a franchise in Israel said it would donate meals to the Israel Defense Forces following the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks. In its statement, McDonald's said: "What started as a belief that McDonald's had the right to win in the fast-growing beverage space quickly came to life as a multi-location, small format, beverage-focused concept. It allowed us to test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes without impacting the existing McDonald's experience for customers and crew. On X, formerly Twitter, David Henkes, a food and beverage industry expert, wrote: "Some of the least surprising news, particularly since they're now rolling many of the innovations into the broad McD system. But that's what an innovation incubator is for." The remaining CosMc's restaurants will now close down. It remains to be seen how many of their products will be introduced to mainstream McDonald's branches as part of the company's upcoming "beverage test." Earlier this month, McDonald's announced it was seeking to recruit "up to 375,000 restaurant employees" across the United States over the summer of 2025. Related Articles Saudi Arabia Rolls Out Custom Mobile McDonald's for Trump VisitMcDonald's Announces Major Hiring BlitzMother's Day 2025: See List of Restaurants With Free Food and DiscountsTeacher Appreciation Week 2025: Few Days Remain to Get Deals, Freebies 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
McDonald's Closes Restaurants, Scraps Starbucks Rival
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. McDonald's has announced it is closing its CosMc's restaurants, which had been described as an attempt to rival Starbucks, with "CosMc's-inspired flavors" instead being deployed to conventional McDonald's sites as part of an "upcoming U.S. beverage test." Newsweek contacted McDonald's for comment on Monday via email outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters McDonald's announced it was launching standalone CosMc sites, named after a McDonaldland alien mascot, in 2023 with restaurants planned in Illinois and Texas. CosMc focused heavily on hot and cold drinks in a move the BBC suggested was aimed at competing in the "fast-coffee space" with companies such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Closing its CosMc sites suggests McDonald's has failed to build a competitive rival to these big hitters in the beverage market, though the company insists it will be applying lessons learned to its other restaurants. Image of a CosMc's restaurant provided by McDonald's. Image of a CosMc's restaurant provided by McDonald's. McDonald's What To Know In a statement released on May 23, McDonald's said that from late June it would be "closing all standalone pilot CosMc's locations on a rolling basis and discontinuing the CosMc's app." However, the company also said that, "building on the insights" it gained from the CosMc pilot, "CosMc's-inspired flavors will be landing at McDonald's as part of the upcoming U.S. beverage test." According to ABC News, McDonald's ended up opening eight CosMc's restaurants or drive-through sites, one near its Chicago headquarters and the other seven in Texas, with an initial plan to open 10 in the Lone Star State. However only five of the CosMc's branches were still open when Friday's announcement was made. The locations focused heavily on drinks such as churro frappé and boba drinks, with a smaller selection of food including McDonald's classics like the McFlurry and McMuffin. However, the launch in December 2023 coincided with a boycott campaign targeted at McDonald's after a franchise in Israel said it would donate meals to the Israel Defense Forces following the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks. A sign towers over a McDonald's restaurant on May 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. A sign towers over a McDonald's restaurant on May 13, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/GETTY What People Are Saying In its statement, McDonald's said: "What started as a belief that McDonald's had the right to win in the fast-growing beverage space quickly came to life as a multi-location, small format, beverage-focused concept. It allowed us to test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes without impacting the existing McDonald's experience for customers and crew. On X, formerly Twitter, David Henkes, a food and beverage industry expert, wrote: "Some of the least surprising news, particularly since they're now rolling many of the innovations into the broad McD system. But that's what an innovation incubator is for." What Happens Next The remaining CosMc's restaurants will now close down. It remains to be seen how many of their products will be introduced to mainstream McDonald's branches as part of the company's upcoming "beverage test." Earlier this month, McDonald's announced it was seeking to recruit "up to 375,000 restaurant employees" across the United States over the summer of 2025.
UPI
24-05-2025
- Business
- UPI
McDonald's to shut all 5 test locations for CosMc beverage concept
McDonald's will close all five of its CosMc's beverage-focused concept test locations this summer, including one in Texas as pictured. Photo by McDonald's May 24 (UPI) -- McDonald's will close all five of its CosMc's test locations this summer, 18 months after introducing the beverage-focused concept at four restaurants in Texas and one in a Chicago suburb. The Chicago-based company plans to add the specialty beverages to its 13,637 regular restaurants this summer. Starting in late June, McDonald's will close all stand-alone pilot CosMc's locations on a rolling basis and discontinue the CosMc's app, the company said in a news release Friday. The program was launched on Dec. 7, 2023, with the first restaurant in Bolingbrook, near Chicago. The test stores also included food but not McDonald's signature Quarter Pounder and Big Mac. The fast-food company said the plan was to test the new drink options. "The main goal of the CosMc's test was to create a launchpad for learning for the McDonald's System -- and the insights we've gathered have given us a whole new way to get closer to our fans," the company said. "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 company added "we know we can bring more delicious and innovative drinks to more fans. " The concept was designed to compete with the drive-thru beverage category dominated by Dutch Bros, Scooters and Swig, as well as Starbucks. Taco Bell is accelerating its in-restaurant drink initiative, Live Mas Caf3. CosMc's drinks included shaken expressos, Frappes, cold brew, slushies and lattes, as well as more traditional options like lemonade and blackberry mint green tea. Soft-serve ice cream also was available. Food choices at the test market included hash brown and pretzel bites, McPops of apple cinnamon and cookie butter, as well as an egg on brioche sandwich, spicy queso sandwich and creamy avocado tomatillo sandwich. The smaller stores were designed to "test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes -- without impacting the existing McDonald's experience for customers and crew." "We've learned so much, so quickly from the CosMc's test," the company said about its Learning Lab. The name CosMc originated as a McDonaldland character, appearing in McDonald's advertisements from 1986 to 1992. CosMc is an extraterrestrial who "craves McDonald's food." In another move to drive business, McDonald's is extending its operating hours at of most of its restaurants until midnight or later. Some restaurants already are open 24 hours a day. Exact hours and menu options are determined by franchises. "Our fans know there's no better way to end an unforgettable night than by feasting on your favorite McDonald's order," the company wrote in a statement shared with USA Today on Wednesday. "That's why, as the summer season kicks off, we're excited to offer up more ways for customers to satisfy their late-night cravings with more choices and expanded hours at more restaurants." The company plans to hire 375,000 new employees this summer. McDonald's, which has been in business for 70 years, reported first-quarter 2025 U.S. sales decreased 3.6% but included a leap-year day last year. Consolidated operating income dropped 3%. The company said the decrease was "primarily driven by negative comparable guest counts" in a filing on May 1. Overall, its first-quarter revenue globally was $5.956 billion with net income $1.868 billion.
