In the afternoon, at least a few days a week, I hit the Starbucks drive-through for an iced tea-lemonade. On rare occasions, I opt for a Frappuccino, or maybe even add a cookie or a croissant to my order.
These sales are outside of the traditional breakfast and lunch dayparts that drive key revenue for the cafe chain.
“Consumers ordering beverages without food represent an increasing percentage of restaurant traffic, and the occasions occur throughout the day,” according to Restaurant Business, citing NPD’s Expanded Beverage Service, which tracks all beverage foodservice occasions.
That makes driving beverage-first (or only) traffic key for chains like McDonald’s, and the company has made major menu changes to go after that business.
McDonald’s wants more beverage sales
In 2023, McDonald’s launched a beverage-heavy spin-off brand, CosMc’s, explicitly to address slow sales after the lunch rush.
“Simply put, CosMc’s is a beverage-centric concept that the company says will ‘solve the 3 p.m. slump,'” Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) reported.
That chain’s CEO Chris Kempczinski sees the company as being “under-indexed” during the mid-to-late afternoon, giving it room for growth.
“One area of focus has been identifying ways to participate in attractive and fast-growing categories. We homed in on specialty beverages and coffee… It’s a space we believe we have the right to win,” he said at the restaurant chain‘s 2023 Investors’ Day.
CosMc’s, it turns out, was just an experiment, and the chain closed all locations in May 2025, according to the Wall Street Journal.
When that happened, however, the company made it clear that it “plans to test drinks in regular locations,” the Journal reported.
McDonald’s bets big on beverages
Kempczinski talked about adding some of the CosMc’s lineup to the McDonald’s menu during the company’s first-quarter earnings call.
“Yesterday, all U.S. restaurants nationwide began offering 3 different refreshers and 3 crafted sodas as part of our new U.S. beverage platform under the McCafe brand,” he shared.
The CEO noted that early results were strong and that more changes were coming.
“The soft launch results over the last week are encouraging, and we’re looking forward to introducing different flavors and Red Bull-infused energy drinks throughout the year,” he said.
Drinks can also be used to get people to the chain’s locations during slower times.
“The higher margins on drinks can be discounted to drive traffic,” retail analyst Bruce Winder told Axios. “They are also used to bring in customers who may then buy food.”
McDonald’s
McDonald’s is embracing a trend
Dirty sodas, that is, soda topped with syrups and cream, have been a growing trend.
Sales are projected to grow 244% over the next four years, according to Datassential’s 2025 State of the Menu report.
McDonald’s believes its drinks can win business from rivals including Starbucks.
“From a quality perspective, we’re competing with those beverage specialists, but delivering at scale, at speed, at convenience, with the accessibility that is unmatched beyond McDonald’s,” Jennifer DelVecchio, who leads McDonald’s U.S. beverage strategy, told Food & Wine.
The move aligns with McDonald’s broader strategy to compete more directly with beverage-focused chains, including Starbucks.
Beverage-led offerings are increasingly positioned as a way to capture traffic during slower afternoon hours, when traditional meal demand falls.
The McDonald’s closest to my home is more convenient than Starbucks, and its current Dirty Dr Pepper and potential future Red Bull-based drinks could occasionally serve as a substitute for my usual afternoon Starbucks visits.
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