This year, McDonald's entered the spin-off game with the new chain CosMc's — and its first stop is, of all places, an Illinois suburb near my house.
The test run began in December when the fast-food giant opened its first CosMc's location in Bolingbrook, Illinois. The galactic chain sells a variety of "otherworldly" coffees, teas, lemonades, slushes, sandwiches, and snacks.
On its opening day, I saw dozens of Instagram stories from friends and neighbors who waited in massive lines of cars just to order from the new spot.
It's been months, and social-media buzz about the chain has died down, especially in my local circles. Since CosMc's grand opening, the chain has only opened three more locations in North Texas.
Still, I was curious if the chain was any good. Was a better alternative to Starbucks right under my nose? Had I been missing out for months by not taking advantage of its blue-and-yellow drive-thru lanes?
Finally, I visited CosMc's and ordered several items to find out.