How McDonald's was replaced in Russia: Now it's "Tasty and period"

The first restaurants of the new brand were opened in Moscow on Sunday

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"We are waiting for you", is the slogan of the company that replaced McDonald's, Photo: Reuters
"We are waiting for you", is the slogan of the company that replaced McDonald's, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A Russian copy of a cult brand from America.

McDonald's, the famous fast food restaurant chain, withdrew from the Russian market in protest of the invasion of Ukraine and sold more than 800 restaurants in that country to Russian businessman Alexander Govor.

The first restaurants of the new brand were opened in Moscow on Sunday.

They also have a new name in Russian: "Tasty and Tochka", which means "Tasty and period".

The golden arches of the original McDonald's logo are gone, replaced by a stylized letter "M" made of two pieces of fries, and a period (or, maybe, a burger?).

No more Big Macs and McFlurries.

But the new owners hope customers won't find too many differences.

They held a press conference in a restaurant on Pushkin Square, where the first McDonald's restaurant was opened 32 years ago.

"Our goal is that the guests do not feel the difference either in the quality or in the ambiance," said Oleg Parojev, director of the company "Delicious and Point".

This company highlighted the slogan: "The name changes, the love remains".

However, one protester stormed the event, shouting: "Bring back the Big Mac".

The recipe for burgers remains the same, as does McDonald's equipment, the company said.

When McDonald's opened in 1990, people waited in a long line: it took me three hours to get in and get my food.

I remember the excitement.

The arrival of McDonald's in Soviet Russia was a symbol of the acceptance of Western ideas, culture and food.

What is happening today is also a symbol of the split between Russia and the West.

And the queue was not much smaller.

Reuters
Getty Images

It's not just about burgers.

Many global brands and multinational companies have suspended business in Russia or sold it and left the country altogether in protest of the invasion of Ukraine.

Govor, an oil magnate from Siberia, plans to open nearly a quarter of the 850 former McDonald's restaurants by the end of the month.

Last month, the American company announced that it was leaving Russia due to the "humanitarian crisis" and the "unpredictable business environment" produced by the war.


About nine percent of total global sales in 2021 were achieved by McDonald's in Russia and Ukraine.

The brands Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Levis and Eps are some of the other international companies that left Russia or stopped selling in that country after the start of the war on February 24.

Massive international sanctions were introduced against Russia, which hampered supply chains and increased unemployment in the country.


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