McDonald's Opens CosMc’s, A New Drive-Thru Restaurant
Image Source: Ashok Selvam
McDonald's is hoping to capture some Starbucks magic. Its new spinoff restaurant, CosMc's, is a drive-thru-only cafe featuring customizable sweet coffee and tea drinks, sodas, slushies, and soft serve ice cream, as well as cookies, snacks, and a few egg sandwiches. Berry Hibiscus Sour-Ade, Turmeric Spiced Latte, or Popping Pear Slush, anyone? Want dragonfruit with that? How about pretzel bites with hot mustard or ranch dip on the side? Full menu here. The first CosMc's location opened in December in the Chicago suburbs and plans are afoot to open nine more locations in Texas later this year. What's with the name? CosMc was a robot-surfer-alien character that Mickey D's introduced back in the 1980s. In the space age of the 2020s, what's old is new again.
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Restaurant Drive-Through Traffic Rises 30%
Image Source: Nate Ryan
The pandemic effects are lingering. It's not surprising that restaurant drive-through usage rose 30% from 2019 to 2022, according to research firm Technomic. Or that by the first half of 2023, the number of people eating inside fast-food restaurants fell by 47% compared to 2019 numbers. What may stick though, is that drive-through sales now account for two-thirds of all fast-food purchases. It makes sense. It's faster than walking inside! Fast food joints are leaning into the trend, developing ever-more convenient drive-throughs like the Taco Bell unit pictured here. For more glimpses into the fast-food future, check out this New York Times article (subscription required).
Atlanta Restaurants Receive First-Ever Michelin Stars
Georgia's capital is home to the world's busiest airport and, now, the world's newest Michelin-star restaurants. In its first-ever guide to Atlanta, Michelin awarded stars to five restaurants: Atlas, Bacchanalia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty and Mujō. Another 10 restaurants earned Michelin’s Bib Gourmand designation, given to spots that feature good food at moderate prices, and 30 others were listed as recommended. Kudos to all the winners — and if you're at the Atlanta airport, stop by One Flew South, one of the world's best airport bars!
California Raises Minimum Wage For Fast Food Workers To $20
Image Source: Associated Press
Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law raising the minimum wage for fast food workers from the state's current $15 to $20 per hour. The new law replaces the controversial FAST Act, applies to quick-serve restaurants that have at least 60 US locations, and takes effect April 1, 2024 (no foolin'!). Chicago is making similar moves with new plans to raise its minimum wage for tipped workers from the current $9.48/hr to $15.80/hr over 4 years. It's about time minimum wages caught up with inflation.
More Restaurants Are Passing Credit Card Fees On To Customers
Image Source: Luke Wohlgemuth
Restaurants often pay up to 4% per transaction for credit card payments, which can add thousands of dollars to weekly costs. With rising labor and food prices, restaurateurs face a tough choice: raise menu prices or pass credit card fees on to customers. More and more are opting for the latter, adding a credit card surcharge to the check. They usually offer an electronic payment option too. These days, it may be cheaper to pay your dinner bill via Paypal or Venmo.
