Russian-owned successor of McDonald’s opens in Moscow

On Sunday, June 12, 2022, employees of a newly built fast food restaurant in a former McDonald’s outlet in Moscow, Russia, wait patiently for customers. Moscow’s first rebranded McDonald’s restaurant has reopened. After Russia pushed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, the company sold its Russian branches to one of its local licensees.

Three months after McDonald’s halted operations in Russia, its iconic former shop on Moscow’s Pushkin Square reopened on Sunday under the ownership of a Russian businessman and with a new name. The restaurant attracted hundreds of customers on its first day of business.

McDonald’s pulled the plug on all of its company-owned and -operated locations in Russia back in March. Although other locations that are owned and operated by franchisees remained open during the strike, the action taken by the worldwide fast-food giant was among the most conspicuous measures taken by foreign firms in response to Russia sending troops into Ukraine.

Two months later, McDonald’s made the decision to completely withdraw from the Russian market and sold its 850 shops to Alexander Govor, who already owned franchise rights for 25 locations in Siberia.

The reopening of the previously closed outlets is a high priority for Govor. The new name of the Russian brand, which is Vkusno-i Tochka, was not revealed until just a few of hours before the restaurant in Pushkin Square opened its doors to the public (Tasty-period).

The logo is unique, yet it is nonetheless reminiscent of the golden arches. It consists of a circle and two yellow oblongs that are organized into a stylised M. These elements signify a beef patty and french fries.

On Sunday, fifteen of the formerly-operating McDonald’s restaurants were scheduled to reopen their doors in Moscow. The general director of the chain, Oleg Paroev, stated that he plans to have 200 open by the time the month is up.

As part of the sales agreement, which did not disclose the monetary details of the transaction, the new business committed to keep all 62,000 of the employees that McDonald’s had at the time of the company’s departure.

The turnout for the McDonald’s launch in 1990, when people waited in line for hours, was in no way comparable to the crowd that gathered at the Pushkin Square outlet, despite the fact that it was a huge and energetic one. Beyond the realm of hamburgers, McDonald’s had psychological and political relevance throughout that time period.

The opening gave the majority of Muscovites their first experience with Western consumerism and the efficiency of Western service. It also served as a hint that the Soviet Union was gradually relaxing its restrictions and allowing foreign culture to enter the nation.

This prior symbolism reverberated with a touch of melancholy throughout Sunday’s reopening, which took place at the same location.

According to what Govor said to the media, “This is a historic spot – the flagship of McDonald’s.” “I have no doubt that it will serve as the model for us.”

On the inside, the restaurant was almost an exact duplicate of its previous incarnation. At the counter, there were touchscreens for placing orders, and the employees wore uniforms consisting of the recognizable polo shirt.

According to what Paroev had to say about it, “We’re positive that our customers won’t detect any difference between us.” On the other hand, he stated that the corporation will look for a new supplier of soft drinks because it only has a limited supply of Coca-Cola.