McDonald’s Launching Spinoff Restaurant Chain Called CosMc's

Jul 23, 2023

Some government officials believe that aliens — or “nonhuman biologics” — are real, but of course, McDonald’s knew that already.

On July 27, McDonald’s revealed it would be launching a spinoff restaurant chain based on a beloved mascot from the ’80s and ’90s. First shared by McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski in a Q2 conference call, the chain will revolve around CosMc, a multi-handed alien from outer space who, like you or me, loves McDonald’s fries.

According to the company, McDonald’s New Business Ventures team is developing the new concept, called “CosMc’s,” which will be tested in a small handful of sites in a “limited geography” starting in early 2024.

For those unfamiliar with CosMc, according to the McDonald’s Wiki, he was featured in a series of McDonald’s commercials and print ads from 1986 to 1992.

In one 1987 commercial, CosMc lands in McDonaldland, only to be discovered by Ronald McDonald, Grimace and the Professor (another character that has since faded into obscurity). The ragtag group’s initial interaction with the character introduces the alien as one who likes to trade, though without permission at first, so it’s less interplanetary commerce and more robbery with a parting gift.

After some hijinks, CosMc and the crew enjoy a meal together, where the alien calls McDonald’s grub “deliciously awesome,” the alien turtle-shells back into his space suit — which also functions as his spaceship — and zooms away.

According to McDonald’s, CosMc’s will be a “small format” restaurant concept “with all the DNA of McDonald’s but its own unique personality.” The chain plans to announce information about development plans at its Investor Day at the end of the year.

News of CosMc being plucked from McDonald’s past comes after the extremely successful revival of Grimace. Earlier this summer, the big purple blob had his super viral moment in the sun with the release of the Grimace Shake, which led to a darkly humorous TikTok trend with over 3 billion views to date.

“This quarter, if I’m being honest, the theme was Grimace,” Kempczinski said on the call.

Q1, McDonald’s hopes, will be out of this world.

Washington, D.C. native Joseph Lamour is a lover of food: its past, its present and the science behind it. With food, you can bring opposites together to form a truly marvelous combination, and he strives to take that sentiment to heart in all that he does.