প্রকাশ: 13/06/2022
It might look and
smell like McDonald's but now it's Vkusno & tochka. The golden arches are
gone, the Filet-O-Fish is simply a fish burger. The Big Mac has left Russia.
A new era for Russia's fast-food and economic scene dawned
on Sunday, as McDonald's restaurants flung open their doors in Moscow under new
Russian ownership and with the new name, which translates as "Tasty and
that's it".
The unveiling of the rebranded outlets, more than three
decades after the American burger giant first opened its doors in Moscow in a
symbolic thaw between East and West, is once again a stark sign of a new world
order. The reopenings took place on Russia Day, a holiday celebrating national
pride.
The fortunes of the chain, which McDonald's sold when it
exited the country over the conflict in Ukraine, could provide a test of how
successfully Russia's economy can become more self-sufficient and withstand
Western sanctions.
On Sunday, scores of people queued outside what was formerly
McDonald's flagship restaurant in Pushkin Square, central Moscow. The outlet
sported a new logo - a stylised burger with two fries - plus a slogan:
"The name changes, love stays".
The queue was significantly smaller than the thousands of
people who flocked to the original McDonald's opening there in 1990 during the
Soviet era.
"We need to avoid a drop in quality, so that everything
stays as it was before, because we loved McDonald's," said IT worker
Sardana Donskaya, who queued up 32 years ago for a first taste of a brand that
had epitomised Western capitalism and returned on Sunday to usher in its
successor.
Vkusno & tochka's menu was smaller and did not offer the
Big Mac and some other burgers and desserts, such as the McFlurry. A double
cheeseburger was going for 129 roubles ($2.31) compared with roughly 160 under
McDonald's and a fish burger for 169 roubles, compared with about 190
previously.
The composition of burgers has not changed and the equipment
from McDonald's has remained, said Alexander Merkulov, quality manager at the
new company.
McDonald's closed its Russian restaurants in March and said
in mid-May that it had decided to leave the country altogether, one of the most
high-profile business departures since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops
into Ukraine on 24 Feb.
In a sign of the haste the new owners have had to rebrand in
time for the launch, much of the packaging for fries and burgers was plain
white, as were drink cups, while takeaway bags were plain brown. The old
McDonald's logo on packets of ketchup and other sauces were covered over with
makeshift black markings.
Sergei, a 15-year-old customer, saw little difference
though.
"The taste has stayed the same," he said as he
tucked into a chicken burger and fries. "The cola is different, but there
really is no change to the burger."
Better than a big mac?
The flagship Moscow restaurant is among 15 rebranded outlets
opening in and around the capital on Sunday. Oleg Paroev, CEO of Vkusno &
tochka, said the company planned to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end
of June and all 850 by the end of the summer.
"For three months we did not work," said Ruzanna,
manager of a Moscow branch due to open in July. "Everyone is very
pleased."
The chain will keep its old McDonald's interior but will
expunge any references to its former name, said Paroev, who was appointed
McDonald's Russia CEO weeks before the Ukraine conflict began.
"Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference
either in quality or ambience," Paroev told a news conference in the
restaurant.
Siberian businessman Alexander Govor, the new owner of the
business, told Reuters that it would look to launch something similar to
McDonald's signature Big Mac.
"We don't have the right to use some colours, we don't
have the right to use the golden arches, we don't have the right to use any
mention of McDonald's," he told Reuters.
"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's. We will
definitely do something similar," he said. "We will try to do
something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."
CEO Paroev added the company was looking for new suppliers
of soft drinks as it runs down some stocks of Coca Cola (KO.N), which is
suspending its sales in Russia. Paroev said all but 2% of the chain's
ingredients are sourced within Russia.
Not everyone was impressed.
Moments after the news conference, a man stood up in front
of the cameras holding a sign that read "Bring back the Big Mac". He
was swiftly escorted out by restaurant staff.
New owner: I paid symbolic sum
Govor is one of many Russians snapping up assets as hundreds
of Western firms flee. He said on Sunday that he paid a "symbolic"
figure "far lower than market price" for McDonald's Russia.
McDonald's, the world's largest burger chain, took a charge of up to $1.4
billion following the sale.
Russian authorities have said the US group has the right to
buy back its restaurants within 15 years - though Govor poured cold water on
that possibility.
"They made it clear to me that they would not buy
back," Interfax quoted him as saying.
McDonald's, which has said that Govor will retain the
chain's tens of thousands of employees for at least two years, was not
immediately available to comment further about the terms of the sale or its
future Russian intentions.
- Reuters
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