Customers Are Waiting in Line for Hours at McDonald's New CosMc's Restaurant

If early buzz is any indication, customers are excited about McDonald's new CosMc's restaurant, a beverage-focused new chain that just opened its inaugural location in Bolingbrook, IL last week. Right from the get-go, customers were willing to wait in line for hours to get a taste of new offerings such as a Churro Frappe, S’Mores Cold Brew, and Sour Cherry Energy Burst drink.

A McDonald's spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times that cars began lining up as early as 3:30 a.m. By the time the drive-thru opened at 6 a.m., 20 cars were waiting with drivers ready to place orders. By noon, it was estimated that about 150 cars had wrapped around the shopping plaza where CosMc's is located to the opposite end.

Some customers were estimated to have waited in line for about two and a half hours, even with three access lanes, as employees wearing yellow coats and beanies and blue gloves helped guide vehicles along. Eventually, police officers arrived to the scene to help direct traffic.

Kevin Jackson, 32, of Westmont, IL told the Sun-Times that he was eager to try the new restaurant after seeing videos on on TikTok. Even after running low on gas halfway through the line, he left to fuel up and then returned to wait.

“It’s worth it,” he reasoned. "It’s probably better to go today than any of the other days. Most people are probably at work today.”

McDonald’s first announced that it was testing out the new drive-thru-only concept back in July, which is based on an alien character of the same name that appeared in commercials from the mid-1980s through early ’90s.

In addition to soft drinks that can be customized with add-ons such as flavor syrups, energy or vitamin C shots, and boba pearls; there will be sandwiches and sides including a spicy queso sandwich, savory hash brown bites, and pretzel bites. The chain will likewise continue to serve up classic McDonald’s fare like Egg McMuffins and the McFlurry.

Though the Bolingbrook location was the first to open, the company has plans to open 10 more pilot locations through the end of 2024 with further expansion of test sites likely to follow, based on the initial hype.