McDonald’s new effort with CosMc‘s is coming to an end as a stand-alone offering, and that’s set to hit the Lone Star State.
The small, experimental chain that targeted North Texas early on will shut down its sites. CosMc‘s currently lists Allen and Fort Worth as locations on its website. It also shows two in San Antonio, and another in Illinois, the same state where McDonald’s has its headquarters.
The move comes after the chain had already pulled back on some locations months ago, while signaling intentions to invest in more.
“Starting in late June, we will be closing all stand-alone pilot CosMc‘s locations on a rolling basis and discontinuing the CosMc‘s app,” the company said on its website.
McDonald’s approached the venture with an eye on testing new ideas and learning — as it rolled out drinks such as iced turmeric spiced lattes, popping pear slushes, pistachio swirl shaken espressos and blueberry ginger boosts. Visitors could get spicy queso sandwiches and pretzel bites. While that pilot is shutting down, the information it has gathered will be rolled out to other parts of the business.
“Building on the insights gained from the pilot standalone locations, CosMc‘s-inspired flavors will be landing at McDonald’s as part of the upcoming U.S. beverage test, seamlessly blending out-of-this-world tastes into the McDonald’s experience,” the company said. “With our new dedicated category team focused on beverages, we know we can bring more delicious and innovative drinks to more fans.”
McDonald’s said the “launchpad” of CosMc‘s helped try out customer-facing environments, encouraging more agility and speed.
The first CosMc‘s was in Bolingbrook, Ill., opening around the end of 2023, and that was followed by a location in Dallas by March of the next year.
“We cannot wait to share more about our beverage developments and tests in the future,” the company said. “Stay tuned as we continue to explore new horizons and bring fresh, exciting flavors” to customers.