Burger King Menu Tackles Problem McDonald's, Starbucks Can't Fix

Back when I worked in retail running a very large toy store, I learned quickly that my costs were only do variable during hours I was open. Yes, I could have fewer workers during times I knew would be slower, but I could not shut off the heat or air conditioning to less-busy parts of the store.

If we were open, the expenses piled up which made it imperative to incentivize customers to visit during slower periods of the week and day. We might have offered free coffee for early morning visits or scheduled story time or Lego play for slower day-parts.

Restaurant chains have the same problem. Traditional fast-food giants like Burger King and McDonald's (MCD) do much of their business during the traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours.

Luring in customers between those periods has been a long-standing challenge. McDonald's has tried to address the issue with its McCafe Menu, hoping to win some post-lunch, pre-dinner business.

Starbucks, since it's not exactly tied to the traditional meal cycle, has struggled in late afternoon and early evening. It has tried everything from adding beer and wine, along with snacks and drinks inspired by that, to buy-one-get-one Frappuccinno offers tied to that day part.

None of it has truly worked and now Restaurant Brands International's Burger King is trying its own solution with a multi-day-part happy hour-style promotion.

McDonald's has leaned on beverages to grow between meal sales.

Image source: Shutterstock

Burger King wants to maximize sales

Just because a lot of efforts to increase sales during less-busy hours have not worked, does not mean that restaurants should stop trying.

“Off-peak hours don’t have to mean empty seats. Turn quiet periods into profit with smart programming,” shared The Restaurant Times. “Create happy hour specials that work. Don’t just discount drinks. Build experiences that keep customers longer and spending more.”

Burger King has essentially followed this advice with its new happy-hour-style BK Snackin' Hour, which was first reported by Fast Food Post.

“Burger King is celebrating back-to-school season with the introduction of BK Snackin’ Hour, featuring some of the brand’s most popular treats free with any $1 purchase during breakfast (7-9 a.n.) and afternoon (3-5 p.m.), starting September 1, 2025,” according to the website.

Here's what Burger King will be offering during its new BK Snackin’ Hour:

Get a free order of Hash Browns with any purchase of $1 or more from 7-9 a.m. daily.
Enjoy a free 4-piece order of Mozzarella Fries with any purchase of $1 or more from 3-5 p.m. daily.

If you want this promotion, however, you better act fast.

Burger King’s BK Snackin’ Hour will be available at participating locations nationwide from September 1 through September 5, 2025.

Non-meal hour sales challenge restaurants

McDonald's recently launched, then quickly closed a spin-off concept, CosMc's which was built as a Starbucks rival with a menu designed for off-meal hours. The chain opened in 2023 with a bold purpose, according to a press release.

CosMc’s seamlessly blends brand-new, otherworldly beverage creations with a small lineup of food, including a select few McDonald’s favorites – all designed to boost your mood into the stratosphere, if only for a few moments.

CosMc’s menu is rooted in beverage exploration, with bold and unexpected flavor combinations, vibrant colors and functional boosts. You’ll see a range of specialty lemonades and teas, indulgent blended beverages and cold coffee – think Sour Cherry Energy Slush, Tropical Spiceade and S’mores Cold Brew. Make it yours with customizations at every turn: popping boba, flavor syrups, energy or Vitamin C shots, and so much more.

The idea was that CosMc's would rival Starbucks and have different busy hours than traditional McDonald's restaurants. In reality, the company realized that it would be a challenge to reach scale and that taking the lessons it learned from CosMc's and integrating them into McDonald's made more sense.

“From the beginning, it was fairly clear what McDonald’s hoped to gain from CosMc’s: an entry point into the speciality beverage category (dominated by players like Starbucks, Dutch Bros., and Dunkin’) that’s been on the rise in recent years,” Fast Company reported.

Had that worked, it would have expanded McDonald's busy hours.

“With an increasing share of occasions within QSR now solely drinks-only missions, and the diversification of menus by the big coffee chains, this should be a competitive yet fertile ground for growth,” Matt Michaluk, executive creative director at the branding agency JKR told the magazine.

Consumers want more beverage choice

While McDonald's CosMc's failed, it was still in line with how Technomic predicts the industry will move in 2025.

“Consumers will increasingly favor beverages for their convenience, customization and cost-effectiveness. And the versatility of these drinks will lead to novel formats and flavors that take inspiration from global trends (e.g., boba, etc.), functional ingredients (e.g., mushrooms, etc.), and seasonal flavors that extend beyond the typical pumpkin spice and peppermint,” the firm shared in its What Will Thrive in 2025 report.

CosMc’s Timeline:

July 2023: McDonald's announced the creation of CosMc's, a small-format, beverage-led spinoff inspired by the 1980s McDonaldland character, CosMc.
December 7, 2023: The first CosMc's location opened in Bolingbrook, Illinois, featuring a drive-thru-only format and offering a menu focused on specialty beverages and select McDonald's items.
2024: The concept expanded with additional locations in Texas, including San Antonio, aiming to capture the afternoon beverage market.
May 23, 2025: McDonald's announced the closure of all five remaining CosMc's locations due to underperforming sales and operational challenges.
June 23, 2025: The CosMc's Club loyalty program and mobile app were discontinued as part of the closure process.

Source: People.com

After the closure, CEO Chris Kempczinski made it clear that McDonald's had learned a lot from the CosMc's experiment during his comments in the company's second quarter earnings call.

“We've been able to quickly embed CosMc's key learnings into our McDonald's core business, demonstrating the speed, scale, system prowess and efficiency of our cross-functional category teams. We're finding new ways to tap into what customers want and believe no one is better positioned than McDonald's to deliver more of these moments to our fans,” he said.