A symbolic date, “the 12th, Day of Russia”, the replacement for McDonald’s opened its doors this Sunday, a historical symbol.
Posted on 13.6.2022 by OF
The arrival of McDonald’s in Russia in 1990 embodied the thawing of tensions between the country and the West at the end of the Cold War. The grand reopening of McDonald’s locations this Sunday, June 12, took place at the same flagship location in Moscow’s Pushkin Square where the company first opened. Quite a symbol.
Old McDonald’s restaurants reopen this Sunday, June 12, 2022 in Russia with a new owner and under a new brand, more than three decades after the arrival of the famous American fast food chain in the country. Their new name Vkusno i tochka, was announced on Sunday. Which means “Delicious.” Point “.
“We will try to do everything so that our customers do not notice any difference, neither in terms of atmosphere, nor in terms of taste, nor in terms of quality”, assured the director general of the chain, Oleg Paroïev, on Sunday. “It won’t be worse, that’s for sure. We will try to make it better” than before, added the new owner, businessman Alexandre Govor.
A symbolic date
This reopening takes place as the country celebrates the “Russia Day”in the establishment of Pushkin Square in Moscow, where McDonald’s opened for the first time in Russia in January 1990.
In the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union was collapsing, McDonald’s epitomized the thawing of Cold War tensions and introduced millions of Russians to American food and culture. Very popular, Russian restaurants accounted for about 9% of the American group’s turnover.
The brand’s demise is now a powerful symbol of how Russia and the West are once again turning their backs on each other.
Former McDonald’s licensee
Last month, McDonald’s announced that it was selling its restaurants in Russia to one of its local licenseesAlexander Govor, in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the wave of Western outrage and sanctions that followed.
The emblematic “golden arches” of the McDonald’s logo have been dismantled at the Moscow and Saint Petersburg sites, where they will make way for a new logo featuring two fries and a hamburger steak on a green background. The reopening will initially concern 15 sites in Moscow and its region.
Alexander Govor said he plans to roll out the new brand to 1,000 locations nationwide and reopen all of the chain’s restaurants in two months.
From Sunday morning, well before the official opening, dozens of people gathered near the emblematic restaurant of the Russian capital, Pushkin Square, one of the first fifteen restaurants to welcome customers.
