No more Filet-o-fish, but a Fish Burger and Royal de Luxe becomes Grand de Luxe. Fast food lovers in Russia will get their money’s worth again from Sunday. Because then the first 15 former McDonald’s restaurants in Moscow and the surrounding area will reopen.
Eventually, about 200 stores that until recently carried the McDonald’s logo will reopen. That confirms the company to the Russian news agency Tass.
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No name yet, but a logo
Remarkably enough, there is not yet a new name. A total of eight names are still under consideration, among them are names that can be translated as ‘Same’ and ‘Free Checkout’.
There is already a logo. It depicts a burger, flanked by two chips: ‘the main symbols of the restaurant’, according to the new chain. On Sunday there will also be an app called MyBurger.
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32 years in Russia
McDonald’s was the first western fast food chain to open there in 1990, in what was then called the Soviet Union. The American group eventually grew into a chain of approximately 850 branches in Russia. But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, McDonald’s decided to leave the country.
The chain sold its Russian operations to Alexander Govor, one of the current franchisees in the country. Govor already operated 25 McDonald’s restaurants. He bought all McDonald’s branches in Russia last month. Part of the deal was that he would keep the employees in service for at least two more years, on equal terms.
Financial details were not disclosed, but the withdrawal cost McDonald’s $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion.
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