Topline
Over a dozen former McDonald’s restaurants in Russia reopened Sunday with different branding and a new name—Vkusno & Tochka, which translates to “tasty and that’s it”—after the American fast food giant permanently exited the country last month following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
An employee holds an order on a tray in the Russian version of a former McDonald’s restaurant after … [+]
Key Facts
McDonald’s said last month it would sell its 847 Russian locations to Alexander Govor, who operated 25 franchise locations in Siberia, but the Illinois-based fast food company would retain its trademarks—meaning the new stores cannot sell branded items such as Big Macs or McFlurries.
Reuters reports dozens of people waited Sunday outside McDonald’s former flagship Moscow location, which originally opened more than 30 years ago amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and is now decked out in a new logo and new slogan: “The name changes, love stays.”
In addition to the 15 locations that opened Sunday, 50 restaurants are set to open Monday, and the company is planning to reopen all McDonald’s locations in Russia under new branding by the end of the summer, Oleg Paroev, CEO of Vkusno & Tochka, told Reuters.
Tangent
McDonald’s said it would temporarily close its Russian locations in March. The company faced heavy criticism for continuing to maintain a presence in the country as other Western corporations pulled out, until it said it would leave Russia permanently in May.
An employee cleans a self-ordering machine.
Customers stand in a line to get in the Russian version of a former McDonald’s restaurant.
Customers place their orders on touchscreens.
A pedestrian walks in front of the new logo of Tasty And That’s It.
An employee stands in front of an ordering screen.
Wrapped double cheeseburgers in the Russian version of a former McDonald’s restaurant.
A double cheeseburger order, which includes fries, sauce and a soft drink.
Surprising Fact
McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Russia—then part of the Soviet Union—in Moscow’s Pushkin Square in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Enormous crowds attended the opening of the McDonald’s, which symbolized both the arrival of Western capitalism and the lifting of the Iron Curtain. The Pushkin Square location was among the 15 locations that reopened as Vkusno & Tochka on Sunday.
Customers stand in line outside the first McDonald’s in the Soviet Union on January 31, 1990 at … [+]
Further Reading
‘Fun And Tasty’ Or ‘The Same One’? McDonald’s Russian Successor Reportedly Seeks New Name (Forbes)
McDonald’s Says It’s Exiting Russia After More Than 30 Years (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/06/12/tasty-and-thats-it-former-mcdonalds-restaurants-reopen-in-russia-under-new-name-in-photos/