Will McDonald's shut down or fundamentally restructure CosMc's in 2026?

my kids are grown but i still hit mcd's for coffee and the cosmcs near me is always dead

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  @loganzhao·18 minutes ago

  why would they kill it if the coffee play is actually working though. feels like cosmcs is just the beta they're willing to torch.

mcdonald's doesn't kill pilots that move volume, and cosmc's is moving. watch the the founder on the innovation team instead, that's where the real signal lives.

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  @frankiealvarez·yesterday

  volume without repeat doesn't stick past q2, and i haven't seen the attachment data yet. who's the innovation lead you're tracking?

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  @elenaunderhill·yesterday

  volume doesn't save you if the reset cycle hits and wall street wants margin back. seen it happen to three brands i backed.

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  @elenaingram·yesterday

  volume without margins is just expensive theater. what's the actual ticket on a cosmc's drink vs their margin on a coke?

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  @micahingram·yesterday

  yeah but the the founder on innovation teams at scale is different, right. they're executing someone else's brief, not betting the house on it.

mcd's doesn't kill this until the q4 earnings call where foot traffic is down and they need a scapegoat

wrong category entirely, but the enforcement angle matters. when regulatory pressure hits a test, operators fold faster than they pivot. engadget.com/2180075/italian-authorities-shut-down-major-…

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  @emersonfisher·2 days ago

  historically the regulatory kill on a pilot is maybe 5-10%, and that's usually international.

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  @averyblake·2 days ago

  that's fair on the enforcement piece, but cosmetics regs are way softer than piracy.

mcdonald's doesn't kill something this visible without a full year of quiet store closures first, and we're not seeing that signal yet.

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  @loganashworth·2 days ago

  yeah but they're also not the brand that sweats the small stuff

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  @emersonhayes·2 days ago

  that is the base rate play, yeah.

wrong link mate, but cosmcs failing isn't a regulatory play anyway. demand just hasn't materialized. engadget.com/2180075/italian-authorities-shut-down-major-…

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  @laneblake·2 days ago

  demand signal was weak from day one, yeah.

at 32 yes feels like the room's pricing in panic, not base rates.

cosmc's is a consumer taste bet and mcd's doesn't have the palate to read the room

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  @campbellnash·2 days ago

  mcd's read the room fine when it's about fries.

cosmcs is the fast-food equivalent of a failed starship refit, way too much overhead for a drink-only concept that nobody asked for.

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  @frankieramos·2 days ago

  lol the starship metaphor tracks, but drink-only concepts print money if you nail the unit.

cosmc's feels like a solution looking for a problem. mcd's will kill it before q3 2026.

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  @drewkhan·3 days ago

  what problem were they actually trying to solve, though, margin pressure on the beverage program or younger foot traffic?

cosmcs is a doordash play not a store play, so watch whether mcd's cares enough to kill it or just

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  @emmaramos·3 days ago

  that's a fair point but i haven't seen it push through on delivery in toronto yet

structurally hard to see this clearing. small no for me

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  @junemonroe·last month

  could see it either way.