After months of missing out on their favourite burgers from McDonald’s, Russians thronged to a handful of the outlets that were reopened after being revamped following a rebranding under the name ‘Vkusno-i tochka’.
The American fast food brand had shut operations in Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine and McDonald’s had sold more than 800 restaurants in Russia. Now, a new Russian CEO has revamped the operations with a new name and logo — replacing the iconic golden arches with an M made out of two French fries. The logo also comes with a dot or period mark, as the Russian name translates to “Tasty and that’s it”.
Holding a press conference at the flagship restaurant on Pushkin Square in Moscow, where the very first McDonald’s had opened 32 years ago, the chain kick-started its operations. “Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience,” said Oleg Paroyev, CEO of Vkusno-i Tochka, according to BBC. The brand also came up with a new slogan that reads, “The name changes, love stays.”
While the main attractions such as Big Mac and McFlurry are missing from the menu, the new company said the burgers’ composition has not changed and the McDonald’s equipment remain.
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According to Alexander Nikolaevich Govor, to whom most of the restaurants were sold off amid international boycott and sanctions, said only 15 joints were opened on day 1. CNN reported that Govor has assured that more than 200 branches will open by end of June.
“If you recall, in May, McDonald’s announced they were removing their businesses from Russia. I am very proud that they chose me to continue developing this business. That means the company views me as someone who fully shares all the principles of business and values of McDonald’s,” Govor said at a press conference.
The ambitious businessman also said he is not just going to revamp the 800 plus stores but also introduce new ones. Luckily, for former McDonald’s employee, the new company said that it will retain all the 62,000 former employees.
On the first day, 30,000 people were served — a McDonald’s record for an opening day, the CBC reported. The location even had to stay open for hours later than planned because of the crowd.
