CosMc's wasn't McDonald's first attempt at a second concept

McDonald’s created a stir last week with the opening of a second concept, a drive-thru drinks operation called CosMc’s. But it’s far from the first time the Golden Arches has tried to find gold from a second venture. It’s been tinkering with possible additions to its single-brand fold almost from the time Ray Kroc got involved with the chain.

The possibilities have included everything from a beer garden to an amusement park to a mixed-use complex that could have been a model for Mall of America. And those were all before its diversification binge of the late 1990s.

Yet not one of those notions worked for Big Mac. Today, McDonald’s Corp. is still synonymous with the McDonald’s chain.

Find out what happened from this week’s episode of Restaurant Rewind, a podcast that look back into the industry’s past for a better understanding of what’s happening today. You’ll find it wherever you get your podcasts.