McDonalds to launch new CosMc cafe chain to rival Starbucks - what will be served at CosMc? Will the CosMc chain be coming to the UK?

The first branch of CosMc will open later this week

It is the world’s largest burger chain, which has more than 40,000 outlets worldwide and has been operating for more than 80 years.

Now fast food giant McDonald’s has unveiled plans to expand into the cafe sector, operating in the same market as Starbucks.

Where will CosMc outlets open?

CosMc aims to open ten stores in the coming year

The firm says it is to open ten CosMc branches in the next year, initially in the US. The first will open later this week in a suburb of Chicago.

The fast food giant also said it was set to open nearly 10,000 restaurants over the next four years, a pace of growth that would be unprecedented even for the fast-growing company.

What will be on the menu at CosMc?

With a menu including items such as a Churro Frappe – based on the Spanish doughnut, churros, and a S'Mores Cold Brew, which has a nod to the popular US treat made of biscuits, chocolate and marshmallows – the first CosMc's will open in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

A limited menu of McDonald’s staples, including Egg McMuffins, will also be on offer, alongside cafe fare such as a spicy queso sandwich, savoury hash brown bites and pretzel bites. A further ten CosMc cafes will open in Texas over the coming 12 months.

The name for the new brand comes from a mascot from McDonaldland – the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends – an alien from outer space that craves its food, which appeared in adverts for the chain in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

McDonalds said: “CosMc’s seamlessly blends brand-new, otherworldly beverage creations with a small line-up of food, including a select few McDonald’s favorites – all designed to boost your mood into the stratosphere, if only for a few moments.”

Will CosMc outlets open in the UK?

At an investor update on Wednesday, the burger giant said it aims to have 50,000 restaurants in operation worldwide by the end of 2027. McDonald’s had 40,275 restaurants at the start of this year.

It plans to open 900 new stores in the US and 1,900 in international markets with company operated and franchised restaurants like Canada, Germany, the UK and Australia. McDonald’s plans another 7,000 stores in international markets that are operated by licensees. More than half of those stores would be in China.

McDonald’s said it took 33 years for the company to open its first 10,000 restaurants; by comparison, it took 18 years to grow from 30,000 to 40,000. Meanwhile, Starbucks said last month it plans to open 55,000 stores globally by 2030, up from 38,000 today.

In an update to investors, Jo Sempels, president of McDonald's international licensed markets, said the company also sees significant opportunity to grow coffee sales – outside the launch of its new outlets. The company already sells eight million cups of coffee each day, he said, but growth has been hampered by a fragmented approach.

McDonald's plans to promote one brand, McCafe, and whittle down the list of equipment suppliers so its coffee is more consistent globally, Mr Sempels said. McCafe only sells coffee and sweet drinks.

McCafe initially launched in Melbourne, Australia, and opened its first store in the US in Chicago – where the first branch of CosMc will be based and where McDonalds has its headquarters.

There are no stand-alone McCafes in the UK at present.