End of an era as Russia’s McDonald’s reopens under new name

Moscow: The restaurant that launched McDonald’s in Russia in 1990, heralding Moscow’s opening after decades of Soviet rule, reopened on Sunday with a new name and logo in a potent reminder of the upheaval sparked by the conflict in Ukraine.

The US fast-food giant announced on May 16 that it would exit Russia in the wake of its Ukraine offensive. In Moscow’s Pushkin Square on Sunday, dozens of people gathered outside the Russian incarnation of the fast-food restaurant, “Vkusno i tochka” (“Delicious. Full Stop”), well before the official noon (0900 GMT) opening.

“My whole family went... three times to McDonald’s for a farewell meal,” Elena, a programmer and mother of two, told AFP. “Now we’re going for a reunion lunch,” she smiled. Inside, 31-year-old Oleg, one of the first customers to receive his order, said “Vkusno i tochka” was “delicious, beautiful and cheap.”

The restaurant, on the spot where the very first McDonald’s opened its doors to long queues and great fanfare in January 1990, is among the first 15 to welcome customers. On Monday, another 50 restaurants are set to open, according to Oleg Paroyev, general manager of the new group, with the chain then planning to reopen 50 to 100 a week across the country.

In place of the Golden Arches, there’s a new logo - two stylised orange fries alongside a red dot on a green background. There are still double cheeseburgers on the menu, as well as a wide range of ice creams and desserts. But the “Mc” prefix no longer appears.

“We had to remove some products from the menu because they refer directly to McDonald’s, such as the McFlurry and Big Mac,” Paroyev said. Prices have risen “slightly” due to the inflation that has hit Russia hard after Western countries imposed sanctions -- but they remain “reasonable”, he added.