With approximately 80 vehicles lined up in the drive-thru to purchase from a unique, beverage-based menu, the new McDonald’s concept restaurant, CosMc’s is off to a strong start.
The world’s top fast-food chain introduced CosMc’s about a month ago to appeal to coffee drinkers – a growing niche audience that includes plenty of brand competition, led by Starbucks and Dunkin’.
Placer.ai examined CosMc’s debut restaurant in Bolingbrook, Ill., near the company’s headquarters. It plans to open nine more CosMc’s in Texas by year’s end.
“While we’ve seen visitation trends for the morning daypart improve due to a steady recovery in return to office trends, we continue to see visits during late morning and early afternoon for coffee and QSR chains due to changes in consumer routines, not to mention a resurgence in late night dining,” writes RJ Hottovy, Head of Analytical Research, Placer.ai.
Placer.ai dubbed 2023 as a year that forced restaurant operators to stay agile.
The restaurant’s smaller format (approximately 2,800 square feet, compared to 4,000 to 4,500 square feet for the average McDonald’s), drive-thru-only concept is part of a “limited test run,” Hottovy said.
Its menu heavily focuses on beverages, including four “Signature Galactic Boosts,” featuring Sour Cherry Energy Boost and Island Pick-Me-Up Punch drinks; iced teas and lemonades such as a Tropical Spiceade and Blackberry Mist Green Tea; slushes and frappes, including a Chai Frappe Burst and Popping Pear Slush; and coffee-based products highlighted by the S’Mores Cold Brew and Turmeric Spiced Latte.
It never ceases to amaze how much consumers crave flavored ice drinks, especially those with coffee.
CosMc’s is one to implement advanced drive-thru processes by enabling its customers to order from dynamic menu boards and cashless payment devices are used to expedite the payment process. Visitors wait at the menu board until their order is ready, and then pickup windows are assigned when the order is ready.
Hottovy said 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. It has more than tripled the number of visits per square foot.
“It is worth noting that CosMc’s visitation numbers would likely have been much higher if the location had additional capacity to satisfy the overwhelming demand,” Hottovy said.
He said that Placer data show CosMc’s skews to a younger audience, particularly the 22–29-year-old cohort and this might allow the company “to build a brand more naturally and stand out with a younger audience, which appears to be working.”