McDonald’s reopens in Russia with new name and image

(CNN) – The Golden Arches and the Big Mac may be absent, but Russians He saw 15 restaurants reopening McDonald’s With a new brand and ownership this Sunday, says its owner Alexander Nikolaevich Gower.

The American fast food company renamed it “Vkusno & Tochka”, which translates to “tasty and that’s it”.

The company, which has CEO Oleg Paroev, plans to open 200 branches by the end of June and all branches by the end of the summer, according to a press release.

“If you remember, in May, McDonald’s announced that it was withdrawing its business from Russia.

“I will not hide my ambition, so I will not only open 850 restaurants, but also create new ones,” he said.

According to a press release, 62,000 former McDonald’s employees were also retained.

The holiday, which marks the country’s independence, was renamed Russia Day. It happened at the same place in Pushkinskaya Square in Moscow, where McDonald’s opened. First restaurant Russian language on January 31, 1990.

30,000 people watched on the first day, McDonald’s record for a opening day, The CBC reported at the time. The venue also had to be open for hours longer than planned due to overcrowding.

About 630 employees were selected from 27,000 applicants 1990 Washington Post article.

“About 32 years ago … in Pushkinskaya Square, there were a lot of people when the first McDonald’s owner opened in Russia. It caused a great deal of interest. I think the interest in this new restaurant chain will be huge. A new owner, a real businessman,” said Alexei, head of the Moscow business department. Alexeevich told a news conference on Sunday.

An employee cleans a self-service machine at the Russian version of a former McDonald’s restaurant before the opening ceremony in Moscow.

McDonald’s has since expanded its reach into the country, operating in early March, with about 850 locations in Russia.

However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February, the chain decided to leave the country and sell its Russian business, in line with many Western businesses.

McDonald’s agreed to pay nearly $ 1.4 billion to Govt. Reuters reported. Other owners may work under the new brand, but the traditional McDonald brand will leave the country, Barrow said.

Russia’s unreliable service said it could choose to buy its Russian restaurants within 15 years, although many of the terms of the sale to Govor were unclear. Reuters also reported.

“If the opening of McDonald’s in 1990 marks the beginning of a new era in Soviet life, the greater the independence, then the company’s current departure reflects not only the closure of the business, but society as a whole,” said Tara Goldstein. Wilcox B. at Williams College. And Harriet M. Emerson Russian professor, Emeritus, noted at the time.

The company’s new logo, shared with CNN, features the “restaurant’s main symbols”: two yellow frying sticks and an orange hamburger. The green background indicates to CNN the “quality of products and services that customers use.”

An employee prepares French fries on the Russian version of an old McDonald’s restaurant.

Consumers gathered outside McDonald’s main store in central Moscow on Sunday. Reuters reported.

Although “Vkusno & Tochka” does not offer some of the most recognizable items on McDonald’s menu, including the Big Mac, customers can pick up a double cheese burger for 129 rubles (about $ 2.30) compared to the 160 at McDonald’s. A fish burger for 169 rubles instead of the previous 190 rubles.

Alexander Merculov, the new company’s quality manager, said that despite some changes to the menu, the mix of McDonald’s burgers and equipment remained the same.

When Sergei, a 15-year-old customer, ate the chicken burger and fries, he said, “The taste is the same.” “The cola is different, but there’s really been no change in the burger.”

CNN’s Daniel Weiner-Broner, Chris Liagos and Anna Chernova contributed to the report.