Crowds have flocked to the old McDonald’s outlets in Moscow as they reopened under a new name and owner.
The American fast food giant halted operations in Russia in March, joining the boycott of many other multinationals following the invasion of Ukraine.
Two months later, McDonald’s decided to leave the country altogether and sold its 850 restaurants.
They were bought by Alexander Govor, who had licenses for 25 franchises in Siberia and has made rapid progress in reopening outlets, starting with 15 in Moscow.
Camera IconKitchen staff ran out of trouble during the reopening. Credit: Dmitry Serebryakov / AP
The new name of the chain was only announced hours before the opening of the premises: “Vkusno-i Tochka” which means “Tasty, that’s all!”
The logo is also different, but it still evokes the famous golden bows: a circle and two yellow oblongs – representing a beef pie and french fries – set in a stylized M.
Camera icon The new logo features two yellow french fries and a yellow-orange burger. Credit: Twitter / Twitter
General manager Oleg Paroev intends to have 200 premises open by the end of the month.
On Sunday, the crowd at the Pushkin Square outlet was large and lively, but it didn’t compare to the turnout when McDonald’s opened in 1990 with customers queuing for hours.
It was the first taste most Muscovites had for Western consumption and service, as well as a sign that the Soviet Union was slowly lowering its guard and letting in foreign culture.
Camera iconThe first McDonald’s in the Soviet Union opened in Moscow in 1990. Credit: Rudi Blaha / AP
As part of the sales agreement, the new owners agreed to retain the 62,000 employees who had been employed by McDonald’s.
This means that they are familiar with the methods and recipes of the global chain and that several articles bear a very close resemblance to those they replaced.
The double cheeseburger is still called that and looks almost exactly the same.
Camera Icon Although some items were almost identical, the new menu is much smaller and lacks basic features such as Big Mac and McFlurry. Credit: Dmitry Serebryakov / AP
A customer named Lyudmila on local television said, “It tasted the same, nothing has changed.”
But the updated menu is much smaller and lacks the basics like Big Mac and McFlurry. It was banned in the sale agreement as they identify too closely with the McDonald’s brand.