Moscow –
Three months after the suspension of McDonald’s operations in Russia, hundreds of people entered its famous old premises in Moscow’s Pushkin Square as the restaurant reopened on Sunday with a Russian owner and a new name.
In March, McDonald’s stopped operations of its company-run restaurants in Russia. Although some managed by franchisees remained open, the action of the multinational fast food chain was one of the most visible responses of foreign companies to the sending of troops from Russia to Ukraine.
Two months later, McDonald’s decided to leave Russia altogether and sold its 850 restaurants to Alexander Govor, who was licensed for 25 franchises in Siberia.
Govor is moving fast to reopen closed outlets. It was not until a couple of hours before the opening of the Pushkin Square restaurant that the new name of the Russian chain was announced: Vkusno-i Tochka (Tasty Period).
The logo is different, but it still evokes the golden bows: a circle and two yellow oblongs – representing a beef pie and french fries – set in an M.
Fifteen of the old McDonald’s were due to reopen in Moscow on Sunday. Oleg Paroev, the chain’s general manager, said he plans to have 200 open by the end of the month.
As part of the sale agreement, the monetary terms of which were not announced, the new operation agreed to retain the 62,000 people employed by McDonald’s before its departure.
The crowd at the Pushkin Square outlet, no matter how big and lively, was no match for the opening of McDonald’s in 1990, when people lined up for hours. At the time, McDonald’s had a psychological and political resonance beyond burgers.
The opening was the first taste that most Muscovites had in Western consumption and service efficiency, as well as a sign that the Soviet Union was slowly lowering its guard and allowing foreign culture to enter the country.
On Sunday, this earlier symbolism was echoed during Sunday’s reopening with a note of nostalgia.
“This is a historic place, the flagship of McDonald’s,” Govor told reporters. “I’m sure it will be the flagship for us.”
Inside, the restaurant looked like a fraternal twin from its old days. There were touch screens for ordering and counter workers in familiar polo uniforms.
“We are confident that our customers will not notice any difference between us,” Paroev said. However, he said the company will look for a new soft drink supplier as it has limited stocks of Coca-Cola.
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