mcdonalds-to-close-3-cosmcs-locations-and-open-2-new-restaurants

**McDonald’s to Close 3 CosMc’s Locations and Open 2 New Restaurants**

McDonald’s, the fast-food giant, is making strategic changes to its spinoff brand, CosMc’s, by closing three locations and opening two new restaurants in Texas. The decision to shutter these locations comes as part of a test to determine the success of smaller stores for the CosMc’s concept.

**Testing the Waters**

To test the viability of the CosMc’s brand, McDonald’s initially opened its first location in Bolingbrook, a suburb of Chicago, more than a year ago. Following this, the company expanded with six more locations in Texas, experimenting with converting larger namesake restaurants into the CosMc’s format while also building smaller prototype stores.

According to the company, the smaller stores have shown better results during the testing phase. As a result, McDonald’s has decided to close three larger format CosMc’s locations and open two additional small restaurants in Texas. While the specific locations for these closures and openings have not been disclosed, the CosMc’s website hints at a new store coming soon to Allen, Texas.

**Early Insights and Menu Offerings**

During the pilot phase, McDonald’s shared some insights into the performance of CosMc’s. Top-selling food items include savory hash browns and McPops, the chain’s mini filled doughnuts. Popular drink choices among customers are the Island Pick-Me-Up Punch, Churro Cold Brew Frappe, and the Sour Energy Burst.

While the CosMc’s menu features some classic McDonald’s items, such as hash browns, it also offers new and trendy selections like iced turmeric spiced lattes, tropical spiceade, and pretzel bites. The introduction of these items aligns with broader beverage and snacking trends in the market, catering to a diverse consumer base.

**The Story Behind CosMc’s**

The inspiration for the CosMc’s brand name comes from CosMc, a character from McDonaldland advertisements in the late 1980s and early 1990s. CosMc, an alien from outer space with a love for McDonald’s food, serves as the mascot for this new venture by McDonald’s.

While the future growth plans for CosMc’s remain unclear, it represents a small portion of McDonald’s vast U.S. restaurant network, which includes over 13,500 locations. Despite its size, McDonald’s is keen on understanding its CosMc’s customers better and rolled out a loyalty program tailored specifically for them in the previous year.

As McDonald’s continues to navigate the evolving landscape of fast food and consumer preferences, the CosMc’s experiment remains a key focus area for the company’s strategic growth initiatives. Stay tuned for more updates on the expansion and success of CosMc’s in the ever-changing fast-food industry.