McDonald's will test 10 CosMc's-inspired drinks at restaurants
"We're seeing real momentum in beverages, with more people — especially our Gen Z fans — turning to cold, flavorful drinks as a go-to treat," Alyssa Buetikofer, McDonald's chief customer experience and marketing officer, said in a statement. "It's a great opportunity for us to meet our U.S. customers' evolving tastes and show up in new moments, like afternoon refreshment or snack breaks."
The new drink lineup is inspired by what the fast-food giant learned through its failed coffee and drinks chain, called CosMc's, that McDonald's launched in 2023. The company shuttered the chain in May.
Instead of operating standalone stores, McDonald's will bring a lineup of at least five different CosMc's-branded beverages to 500 McDonald's restaurants across the U.S. The drinks, which McDonald's describes as "cold coffees, fruity refreshers, crafted sodas and energizing sips," will first be available at restaurants in Wisconsin, Colorado and the surrounding areas, according to the company.
Tew drinks include:
The venture aims to expand and capitalize on growing customer demand for flavorful drinks.
"We're not just adding drinks to the menu – we're advancing our global beverage platform that fits naturally with how people already enjoy McDonald's," Charlie Newberger, McDonald's beverage category lead, said in a statement. "We've got the structure, the tools and the team to move fast and scale what works."
The drinks will be available in stores starting Sept. 2, according to the company.
McDonald's recently re-introduced its popular Snack Wrap and Spicy Egg McMuffin sandwich as it seeks to boost sales and lure inflation-weary customers back to its stores.
Same-store sales dropped 3.6% in the first quarter, marking the company's largest drop since the COVID-19 pandemic, when the the chain was forced to close stores nationwide.
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NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Why a 'mini Trump' is breaking through in Japan
TOKYO — As President Donald Trump's tariffs add to a sense of uncertainty in Japan, more voters here are embracing an idea inspired by their longtime ally the United States: 'Japanese first.' The nationalist slogan helped the right-wing populist party Sanseito make big gains in Japan's parliamentary elections on Sunday, as it capitalized on economic malaise and concerns about immigration and overtourism. Party leader Sohei Kamiya, who since 2022 had held Sanseito's only seat in the upper house of Japan's parliament, will now be joined by 14 others in the 248-seat chamber. It's a far cry from the party's origin as a fringe anti-vaccination group on YouTube during the Covid-19 pandemic. Though Japan has long had a complex relationship with foreigners and its cultural identity, experts say Sanseito's rise is another indication of the global shift to the right embodied and partly fueled by Trump, with populist figures gaining ground in Europe, Britain, Latin America and elsewhere. Kamiya 'fancies himself a mini-Trump' and 'is one of those who Trump has put wind in his sails,' said Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies and history at Temple University's Japan campus. Speaking at a rally on Saturday at Tokyo's Shiba Park, Kamiya said his calls for greater restrictions on foreign workers and investment were driven not by xenophobia but by 'the workings of globalization.' He criticized mainstream parties' support for boosting immigration in an effort to address the labor shortage facing Japan's aging and shrinking population. 'Japan is still the fourth-largest economy in the world. We have 120 million people. Why do we have to rely on foreign capital?' Kamiya told an enthusiastic crowd. The election results were disastrous for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is facing calls to resign now that his conservative Liberal Democratic Party — which has ruled almost uninterrupted since the end of World War II — has lost its majority in both houses of parliament. The Japanese leader had also been under pressure to reach a trade deal with the Trump administration, which said Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to a 15% U.S. tariff on Japanese goods. On Wednesday, Ishiba denied reports that he planned to step down by the end of August. The message from his party's string of election losses is that 'people are unhappy,' Kingston said. 'A lot of people feel that the status quo is biased against their interests and it advantages the elderly over the young, and the young feel sort of resentful that they're having to carry the heavy burden of the growing aging population on their back,' he said. Kamiya, 47, an energetic speaker with social media savvy, is also a strong contrast to leaders such as Ishiba and the Constitutional Democrats' Yoshihiko Noda, both 68, who 'look like yesterday's men' and the faces of the establishment, Kingston said. With voters concerned about stagnating wages, surging prices and bleak employment prospects, 'the change-makers got a lot of protest votes from people who feel disenfranchised,' he said. Sanseito's platform resonated with voters such as Yuta Kato. 'The number of [foreign immigrants] who don't obey rules is increasing. People don't voice it, but I think they feel that,' the 38-year-old hairdresser told Reuters in Tokyo. 'Also, the burden on citizens including taxes is getting bigger and bigger, so life is getting more difficult.' The biggest reason Sanseito did well in the election, he said, 'is that they are speaking on behalf of us.' Kamiya's party was not the only upstart to benefit from voter discontent, with the center-right Democratic Party for the People increasing its number of seats in the upper house from five to 16. Sanseito, whose name means 'Participate in Politics,' originated in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting conservatives with YouTube videos promoting conspiracy theories about vaccines and pushing back against mask mandates. Its YouTube channel now has almost 480,000 subscribers. The party has also warned about a 'silent invasion' of foreigners in Japan, where the number of foreign residents rose more than 10% last year to a record of almost 3.8 million, according to the Immigration Services Agency. It remains far lower as a proportion of the population than in the U.S. or Europe, however. Critics say such rhetoric has fueled hate speech and growing hostility toward foreigners in Japan, citing a survey last month by Japanese broadcaster NHK and others in which almost two-thirds of respondents agreed that foreigners received 'preferential treatment.' At the Sanseito rally on Saturday, protesters held up signs that said 'No Hate' and 'Racists Go Home.' Kamiya denies that his party is hostile to foreigners in Japan. 'We have no intention of discriminating against foreigners, nor do we have any intention of inciting division,' he said Monday. 'We're just aiming to firmly rebuild the lives of Japanese people who are currently in trouble.' Despite its electoral advances, Sanseito doesn't have enough members in the upper house to make much impact on its own and has only three seats in the more powerful lower house. The challenge, Kingston said, is whether Kamiya can 'take this anger, the malaise, and bring his show nationwide.'
USA Today
2 hours ago
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Do you need $1 million to be financially 'comfortable'? Answers here.
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Respondents were left to decide on their own. To Rob Williams, managing director of financial planning at Schwab, the distinction boils down to needs, wants and wishes. To many American consumers, Williams said, financial comfort means having enough net worth to meet their needs and wants. 'I can pay my mortgage. I have a home. I can pay my medical bills. I don't have to go paycheck to paycheck. I have enough to retire,' Williams said. 'That's what financial comfort means to me.' To be wealthy, he said, means you have enough money to satisfy your needs and wants, and also your wishes. 'Wishes are those things that are aspirational,' he said: Having enough money to retire when you want, or to vacation where and when you please. 'I think of wealth as, 'I have a lot more choices in how I use my time,'' Williams said. Here's how Americans define 'wealthy' Schwab asked survey respondents to define what wealthy means to them. Here, in descending order, are the most-cited factors: Is financial 'comfort' more dream than reality? Only 11% of consumers said they believe they are wealthy now: evidence, perhaps, that wealth is largely aspirational. Another 24% said they think they are on track to be wealthy. Gen Z and millennials were especially optimistic about wealth. More than two-fifths of both groups reported being either wealthy or on track to become so. Financial comfort, too, seems to be more of a dream than a reality. In the Schwab survey, only 20% of respondents reported feeling comfortable now. Another 28% said they're on track to achieve that status. Here, again, Gen Z and millennial Americans voiced more optimism, with more than half of each group saying they are financially comfortable, or getting there. The Schwab survey, conducted in April and May, reached a representative sample of 2,200 adults. Most American households are not particularly wealthy A net worth of $839,000, the cutoff for financial comfort in the Schwab survey, actually falls below the average net worth for American families in 2022, which was roughly $1.1 million, according to the federal Survey of Consumer Finances. But the super-wealthy skew that average. The median household net worth – think of it as the middle figure in a long list of numbers – is only $192,700. Lili Vasileff, a certified financial planner in Greenwich, Connecticut, defines financial comfort as essentially never having to worry about money. 'Comfortable, to me, means that I can meet my bills every day of the week, that I don't live paycheck to paycheck, that I have savings set aside as an emergency fund, and that I have made good progress toward achieving my financial goals,' she said. Being wealthy, she said, is about financial freedom and loftier goals. 'Wealthy, to me, means that I have savings that I don't need to dip into, and I can create a legacy for my children, that I have the ability to have a little more ego in terms of the quality of things that I want,' she said. 'You may feel like you're really comfortable at $800,000,' Vasileff said. But a lot depends on how much of the money is liquid, how much is investable, and how much is earmarked for spending, among other factors. The role of financial wellness Robert Brokamp, a senior adviser at The Motley Fool, defines financial comfort in much the same way the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defines financial well-being. It's a four-part definition: 'I think anyone who meets those criteria, they're comfortable,' Brokamp said. Brokamp also has a theory to explain the $2.3 million figure that Schwab survey-takers defined as 'wealthy' in 2025. It has to do with the faded luster of the American millionaire. 'If you're a millionaire, you're more than comfortable,' Brokamp said. 'But there's still this idea that being a millionaire ain't what it used to be.' Brokamp thinks that impulse may explain why the annual Schwab surveys consistently define 'wealthy' as a figure closer to $2 million: $2.2 million in 2022 and 2023, and $2.5 million in 2024. 'If you've got $2 million, you're a multimillionaire,' he said. 'And if you're a multimillionaire, you've got to be wealthy.'
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Gen Z professionals are flocking to Ann Arbor instead of big cities
Ann Arbor, Michigan, ranks as the top city for Gen Z professionals, according to a new survey by — an apartment search platform that evaluated 264 US metros. The study narrowed the list to 122 metros by excluding cities with populations under 300,000 or lacking sufficient data. Rankings were based on key Gen Z priorities like affordability, culture, diversity, environment and overall livability. 'We put together this list to help Gen Z grads find cities that offer a balance between rewarding work and a good life,' wrote Mihaela Buzec, the report's author. Metrics included the share of Gen Z residents, education levels, unemployment changes, income and job growth, and a composite livability index that factored in socioeconomics, community dynamics and quality of life. 'Ann Arbor takes the top spot with its college-town appeal and competitive job market,' the report noted. The city is home to the University of Michigan, which drives a steady influx of young talent and cultural activity. Lincoln, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, followed closely behind. The report highlighted a trend of Gen Z professionals favoring smaller, affordable cities with strong economic foundations and university presence. 'Ann Arbor takes the top spot with its college-town appeal and competitive job market,' the report noted. AP 'We see the shift in Gen Z's preferences from the large urban centers to more livable and affordable destinations,' the report stated. told FOX Business that among the 122 metros that ranked at the bottom were El Paso, TX; McAllen, TX; Memphis, TN; Stockton, CA; and Lafayette, LA. 'These metros ranked at the bottom of the list not necessarily because they are lacking opportunities, but because they do not align with the core values of Gen Z, especially regarding livability factors and the industries that drive the job market,' according to Mihaela Buzec, a senior writer and researcher. Lincoln, Nebraska, ranked among the top cities for Gen-Z professionals. Jacob – 'Specifically, we can look at metros such as Bakersfield (#116), Modesto (#115), or Beaumont (#114), where the main hiring industries are agriculture, oil and gas, or logistics and manufacturing, not the typical industries that Gen Zs orient themselves to,' Buzec said. Buzec explained further that Gen Zs prefer communities that 'offer a high quality of life, with frequent cultural events, diverse entertainment options, and walkable areas,' which many of the metros that ranked low lacked. 'For instance, McAllen, TX, and El Paso, TX, had the two lowest scores for the livability composite index in our analysis (#122 and #121). One key demographic metric that also influenced this positioning is the lower percentage of highly educated Gen Zs from the total young adult population, meaning there is no large driving force for change at the moment in these specific metros,' Buzec said.
