What happened to McDonald's CosMc's brand?

McDonald's launched the CosMc's brand in 2023, but has now closed all of the few CosMc's locations that had opened, less than 2 years later.

Has McDonald's tried to expand beyond burgers before?

Yes, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, McDonald's acquired Chipotle Mexican Grill and Donatos Pizza, but was unable to successfully integrate these brands and later divested from both.

Why did McDonald's acquire Chipotle and Donatos?

McDonald's was looking to expand into other markets in the 1990s, as there were limited opportunities for growth of its core burger business. The Chipotle and Donatos acquisitions were part of this strategy to diversify the company's portfolio.

Home / Business and Economy / McDonald's Shutters Ambitious CosMc's Brand After Less Than 2 Years

McDonald's Shutters Ambitious CosMc's Brand After Less Than 2 Years

17 Aug

•

Summary

McDonald's launched new CosMc's brand in 2023
CosMc's stores closed in less than 2 years
McDonald's previously owned Chipotle and Donatos, but divested from them

As of August 2025, the fast-food giant McDonald's has shuttered its ambitious CosMc's brand after less than 2 years of operation. The launch of CosMc's in 2023 was seen as a bold move by McDonald's, as the company had not owned any other restaurant chains besides its iconic burger brand.

However, the CosMc's experiment proved to be short-lived. McDonald's has now closed all of the few CosMc's locations that had opened, marking an end to the company's latest attempt to diversify its portfolio beyond burgers. This is not the first time McDonald's has tried to expand into other food categories, with mixed results.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, McDonald's acquired two now-popular chains: Chipotle Mexican Grill and Donatos Pizza. But the company was unable to successfully integrate these brands and later divested from both. The Chipotle acquisition, in particular, was a significant gamble for McDonald's, as the burrito chain was still a relatively small upstart at the time.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.