McDonald’s Closing CosMc’s Sites

McDonald’s (Chicago) is shuttering its fledgling CosMc’s chain. “As part of the concept’s 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,” the company said in a news release.

Based on a McDonaldland character from the late ’80s from outer space, the concept was launched amidst great fanfare in late 2023. But McDonald’s downplayed the closings of the stand-alone CosMc’s, saying “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.”

In its coverage of the closings, CNN reported that CosMc’s menu consisted of sweet drinks and light snacks, with the company hoping customers would visit during their afternoon slump. A spinoff was launched because executives thought the customizable drinks would be too much of a strain on its McDonald’s employees, but fewer people customized their drinks than the company thought.

“Times have also changed since CosMc’s opened: McDonald’s recently reported its second consecutive quarter of sales declines as customers pulled back their spending amid economic uncertainty. That likely prompted McDonald’s leadership to focus instead on fixing its core product,” the news service said.

The chain will be closing five locations: four in Texas and one in suburban Chicago.