McDonald’s Launching CosMc’s Spinoff in the New Era of Food Service

CNBC reports that McDonald’s is planning to launch a spinoff brand in 2024 called CosMc’s. Some might remember that CosMc (pronounced cosmic) was an alien mascot launched by the brand in 1986 through commercial advertisements that showed him visiting McDonaldland and meeting Ronald, Grimace, and company.

According to Fox Business, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski explained on an earnings call that the new small-format concept restaurant will have “all the DNA of McDonald’s, but its own unique personality.” Fox went on to add that “Kempczinski didn’t elaborate on the company’s plans. However, McDonald’s will have more information about development plans and new format innovations at its investor day in December.”

In the early ’90s, McDonald’s opened smaller McDonald’s Express stores, which sought to expedite its services through smaller locations with reduced menu items. Since this new project uses a different name, it’s safe to assume the company will be going above and beyond its previous incarnation.

There are no further details about how the new concept store will operate exactly, but speculation can be made based on how other brands have been developing over recent years. This new CosMc store could possibly follow in the footsteps of businesses like Chipotle and sweetgreen as they continue to transition into a model that reduces labor and human interaction.

In 2019, Forbes reported how Chipotle first introduced “a few dozen Chipotlanes” that allowed customers to place their order through Chipotle’s mobile app or website and then “pick it up in the Chipotlane, all without ever having to leave their car.” And there’s no need for a drive-up menu board since everything is pre-ordered via digital means.

Fast forward to 2023, and the brand has already garnered at least 500 Chipotlanes locations nationwide, according to Restaurant Dive, with plans to continue developing them.

As for sweetgreen, the restaurant chain recently announced it would be using a fully automated production system they call the “Infinite Kitchen.” According to QSR magazine, “The robotic production line will prepare 100 percent of orders, eliminating the need for a front line and a secondary make line. Around half of sweetgreen’s variable labor in restaurants is production—or assembly-related, which means the system will free up employees to focus on guest-facing experiences.”

Furthermore, “Infinite Kitchen is expected to bring about significant throughput gains, something Neman said has been a ‘huge focus’ for sweetgreen over the past six months.” Sweetgreen’s Infinite Kitchen is the major focus of this brand, and it plans to become fully automated in the near future. The success and popularity of this service could have a major impact on how fast-food establishments and restaurants operate in the future.

QSR magazine also shares that sweetgreen is already proving how “staffing and labor improvements, enhanced training materials, and a new leadership structure that removed a layer of middle management have all yielded increases in speed-of-service. New formats, including the first drive-thru and pickup-only stores that launched last year, are seeing faster throughput, too.”

Restaurant Business explains the current scenario: With their first Infinite Kitchen setup up and running, sweetgreen claims, “The automated system is faster, uses more exact portions and is more accurate.” The chain of work is not completely devoid of humans, since there are hosts to help guide customers and take orders that are not placed with the self-service kiosks, and “a human at the end of the process adds final touches, like a sprinkle of herbs or scoop of avocado.”

Ultimately, a fully automated storefront also equates to a more seamless cohesion of other features, such as digital screens and merchandise, to further capitalize on brand storytelling and customer loyalty. This all sounds like a win-win, but one thing sweetgreen has not yet officially commented on is how many human employees will be needed at each location.

Though it isn’t clear yet whether McDonald’s CosMc’s spinoff restaurant will also aim to be fully automated when it launches next year, it’s sure to attract a lot of attention, especially after the successful revival of Grimace and his viral TikTok shake trend.