CosMc’s, a McDonald’s spinoff, opened its drive-thru-only location outside of Chicago last month, seemingly becoming an instant hit.
According to Placer.ai, a business insights platform, the “small-format, beverage-led” establishment saw more than twice as many customers in December 2023 as the average McDonald’s location would have across the chain.
“Placer’s data suggests that CosMc’s saw more than double the number of visits that a typical McDonald’s saw chainwide during December 2023 despite being open only since Dec. 7 and more than triple the number of visits per square foot (given CosMc’s smaller, roughly 2,500-square-feet footprint),” Placer.ai reported on January 6.
“However, it’s also worth noting that CosMc’s visitation numbers would likely have been much higher if the location had additional capacity to satisfy the overwhelming demand.”
A WOMAN TRYING MCDONALD’S SPINOFF COSMC’S WAITS FOUR HOURS AND GIVES HER VERDICT
The pilot CosMc restaurant can be found in Bolingbrook, Illinois. During the week of the restaurant’s opening, local police were called in to manage traffic around the establishment due to its high demand.
Compared to a typical McDonald’s store, which typically occupies 4,000–4,500 square feet, CosMc’s is significantly smaller, measuring approximately 2,500 square feet. But given that CosMc serves drinks and light bites instead of meals like a regular McDonald’s, the smaller floor plan makes sense for the company’s business model.
Along with a variety of coffee drinks, iced teas, lemonades, slushes, frappes, and four “Signature Galactic Boosts” (caffeinated fruity drinks) are available on the menu. Breakfast food options include savory hash brown bites, pretzel bites, filled donuts called McPops, and a spicy queso and creamy avocado tomatillo sandwich.
