McDonald’s opened their brand new restaurant CosMc’s in Ill. on Dec. 7. The new concept is a step in the direction of breaking into the ever-growing drink market.
CosMc’s is based off of the 80s character used by the McDonald’s brand. Their image will reflect the retro look of the 80s, surrounding the character CosMc. It will also differ from the traditional McDonald’s, as the format is drive-thru only. Their menus will also be drastically different from the usual McDonald’s menu.
CosMc’s will have classic McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches like the McMuffin, but this restaurant’s priority is mainly full drink customization. The drinks will range from a variety of lemonades and slushes to coffees and teas. Additionally, there will also be new food items added to the pastries section.
The global coffee market generates over $88 billion per year and is only expected to increase in the future. McDonald’s isn’t well recognized in this field despite being the largest fast food restaurant in the world. Using their current reputation and presence, they could likely grow this new sector with ease.
Former marketing employee for McDonald’s Janene Murphy believes the new restaurant will have success depending on how people view McDonald’s itself. “I believe the outlook rests on how people view McDonald’s already. It will be whether they look at McDonald’s as a place with good drinks and a place who is capable of making them, or if they don’t,” she said.
This move could also be inspired by the growing popularity of drink customization. Younger generations have created subcategories on social media platforms dedicated to their unique drink combinations. ‘DrinkTok’ is a TikTok community directed toward completing just this. With the restaurant’s novelty CosMc’s will have plenty of time to tweak their focus to make sure they hit home with the younger audience.
Senior Kennedy Scott believes the new restaurant could have a good chance of success. “I enjoy being able to customize my coffee, and so all their options are appealing. I’ve also also always loved their Coke so their other drinks will draw a lot of people in,” she stated.
When companies alter their image to introduce new products, die-hards tend to have conflicted reactions. Whether or not McDonald’s current image will help or hurt their success has yet to be seen. McDonald’s doesn’t seem to be too worried, as they have plans to open 10 more CosMc’s by the end of 2024.
McDonld’s attempt at making a large dent on the drink and coffee space is sure to shake up the market, but how the market as a whole will react will be discovered in time.
