McDonald's goes full-fry ahead

McDonald's is testing a new restaurant format with customizable drinks and treats designed to appeal to afternoon snackers -- and grab sales from competitors like Starbucks and Dunkin'.

The company will open 10 CosMc's restaurants through the first half of next year. One will be near its headquarters in Chicago and the rest in Texas. The company will study the results for at least a year before determining whether to expand. It's also expected the company will open nearly 10,000 McDonald's restaurants worldwide over the next four years to reach 50,000 outlets -- a pace of growth that would be unprecedented even for the world's largest burger chain. McDonald's plans 7,000 stores in international markets and operated by licensees.

More than half will be in China.