McDonald’s is launching a spinoff chain called CosMc’s, based on an extra-terrestrial robot which featured in adverts between the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“CosMc’s is a small format concept with all the DNA of McDonald’s, but with its own unique personality,” said Chris Kempczinski, chief executive officer at the fast-food giant.
Expected to open next year, a small number of test sites will be launched in a “limited geography”, the US-listed company revealed in a second-quarter earnings call.
CosMc featuring in an advert from the 1980s. Source: CNBC
Further details are expected to be released at the group’s investor day in December.
CosMc featured in advertising campaigns alongside characters like Ronald McDonald, Grimace and Mayor McCheese, all of whom inhabited the fictional McDonaldland, which was featured on TV between 1971 and 2003.
Ronald McDonald retired from adverts in 2016, after a series of scary clown sightings in the US changed consumers' perception of the fast-food mascot.
The cast of the McDonaldland adverts. Source: IMDb
Grimace returned to promotions this year with the group launching a milkshake in honour of his birthday, sparking an online meme, the success of the campaign helped drive sales in the second quarter and could arguably be the inspiration for the launch of CosMc’s.
McDonald’s shares are up more than 11% in 2023 and are currently trading at around US$294.