what’s in a name? Rebranded McDonald’s outlets open in Russia
It may look and smell like McDonald’s but now it is Vkusno & tochka. The golden arches are gone, the filet-of-fish is just a fish burger. Big Mac has left Russia.
A new era for Russia’s fast-food and economic landscape began on Sunday when McDonald’s restaurants opened their doors in Moscow under new Russian ownership and with a new name, which translates as “delicious and that’s it”. is done.
Three decades after the American burger giant first opened in Moscow in a symbolic thaw between East and West, the rebranding of outlets is once again an important sign of a new world order.
The fortunes of the revamped chain, which McDonald’s sold on its exit from the country over the conflict in Ukraine, could provide a test of how successfully Russia’s economy can be self-sustaining and withstand Western sanctions.
On Sunday, hundreds of people queued outside a major McDonald’s restaurant in central Moscow. The outlet introduced a new logo – a stylish burger with two fries – as well as a slogan that read: “Names Change, Love Lasts”.
During the Soviet era the queue for the opening of the original McDonald’s in 1990 was much smaller, compared to the thousands.
Vkusno & tochka’s menu was small and didn’t offer a Big Mac and some other burgers. A double cheeseburger was going for 129 rubles ($2.31), while at McDonald’s there was a fish burger for about 160 and 169 rubles, while before it was about 190.
The composition of the burgers has not changed and McDonald’s equipment remains, said Alexander Merkulov, the new company’s quality manager.
15-year-old customer Sergei noticed little difference.
“The taste stayed the same,” he said, tucking into the chicken burger and fries. “The cola is different, but there’s really no change in the burger.”
much difference?
The leading Moscow restaurant is one of 15 rebranded outlets that will initially open on Sundays in and around the capital. Vkusno & tochka chief executive Oleg Parov said the company plans to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June and all 850 by the end of the summer.
The chain will retain its old McDonald’s interior but will remove any reference to its former name, said Parov, who was appointed CEO of Russia McDonald’s on February 24, weeks before Moscow sent thousands of troops to Ukraine.
“We aim to make sure our guests don’t notice any difference in quality or ambiance,” Parov told a media conference at the restaurant. He added that the chain would maintain “affordable prices,” but did not rule out slight growth in the near term.
McDonald’s closed its restaurants in Russia on March 14 and said it decided to leave the market in mid-May.
“For three months we did not work,” said Ruzana, the manager of the Moscow branch, which opened in July. “Everyone is very happy.”
The chain’s new owner, Alexander Gower, said 7 billion rubles ($125.56 million) would be invested in the business this year, which employs 51,000 people.
“The corporation has asked me to put the number of employees first to hire people. That’s what I’m going to do,” he said.
Gower said the company is looking for new suppliers of the soft drink in the form of Coca-Cola, which it said is suspending its business in Russia.
Moments after the end of the press conference, a man stood in front of the cameras holding a sign that read “Bring Back the Big Mac”. The restaurant staff immediately pulled him out.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)