TikTok, Tight Wallets And Tenets: How Gen Z Is Changing Restaurant Retail When McDonald’s opened the first location of CosMc’s in suburban Chicago in December, 22-year-old food TikToker Nicole Ludwig was one of the first to grab a phone and document the new concept restaurant aimed squarely at young Americans for the masses. Ludwig, whose more than 175,000 TikTok followers enjoy her daily food content, is a part of an ecosystem of young influencers tapped into the latest food trends and driving conversation around them. The four videos Ludwig posted on TikTok, reviewing CosMc’s specialty beverages, coffees and snacks on Dec. 12, have over 2 million combined views. "I posted and a lot of people were like 'I want to try this,'" Ludwig said. "A lot of people actually didn't even know about it." 
Largely fueled by social media, CosMc's is a hit. Lines are reportedly two to three hours long for specialties like the Sour Cherry Energy Burst, Turmeric Spiced Latte, S’Mores Cold Brew and Creamy Avocado Tomatillo sandwiches, and McDonald’s plans to roll out the drive-thru-only concept to nine more markets this year, starting with… Read the full story here. | 
