We Weren’t Lovin’ It: McDonald’s Ends Spin Off Experiment In Texas

When McDonald's announced its new spin-off concept, CosMC's, I thought the idea was mostly a winner- but I had two hesitations.

Was McDonald's entering the "fancy" drink game too late?

and

Would the ice cream machine break, like we all joke it does at a regular McDonald's?

What Was The Idea Behind CosMC's?

According to Fox 32, CosMC's was intended to allow "the company [to] test bold drink flavors and operational tweaks without affecting its core restaurants." CosMC's opened locations, primarily in Texas, about a year ago.

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In other words, it was always an experiment. And if you paid attention in science class, an experiment "failing" isn't a failure per se, it's an opportunity to collect data, learn, and move on.

And that appears to be exactly what McDonald's is doing- they will take what worked with CosMC's and apply it to their restaurants.

Are All Texas CosMC's Closing?

Yes, every CosMC's is closing. There are currently only five locations total- the original concept in Bolingbrook, Indiana, and four in Texas, including locations in Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Allen.

These last closures follow a series of store closures in January.

What Went "Wrong" With CosMC's?

CosMC's saw a huge burst of popularity when they first opened, with hours-long lines to try these drive-thru-only, drink-focused concepts.

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However, it appears that it was difficult to hold onto that enthusiasm. I glanced through reviews for one of the remaining CosMC's locations in Texas, and it was a resounding "meh."

Lots of reports of drinks being too sweet, service being too slow, but hey, the breakfast sandwiches are pretty good. So let's hope those sandwiches continue to see the light of day at a regular McDonald's.

In Texas, there are many of the same concept- drive-thru only customizable coffee and energy drinks with breakfast items. Dutch Bros. 7 Brews, Human Bean etc., etc. And those places seem to have had a better grip on how to handle that particular workflow.

What's The Future For McDonald's After CosMC's Failure?

McDonald's, of course, will be just fine and will likely introduce a couple of the items that worked at CosMC's to their menus.

And maybe they've learned something about keeping the ice cream machine in working order.