McDonald’s announced its withdrawal from the Russian market in May, saying it would sell its 850 restaurants due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He joined an exit of Western companies from the Russian market amid sanctions and serious shortages in some areas. On Sunday, the new Russian fast-food chain acquired by McDonald’s opened its first 15 restaurants in Moscow. Vkusno & tochka plans to finally reopen all 850. In a large opening in Moscow’s Pushkin Square, the restaurant appeared to be a deliberate replica of the American chain. Fish burgers, chicken nuggets and double cheeseburgers were all on the menu. “Our goal is for our visitors not to notice any difference in either quality or atmosphere,” said Oleg Paroev, CEO of Vkusno & tochka. The restaurant served old packages with McDonald’s hot mustard sauce marked to erase any reference to the fast-food chain. The new name was an appeal to the nostalgia of many Russians, who have become accustomed to Western products and brands, although the Kremlin has denounced Western influence. “The name changes, the love remains”, wrote the slogan of the new restaurant. Slogans sewn on the workers’ uniforms read: “The same smiles”. They were the smiles of workers that many Russians remembered 32 years ago, when the first McDonalds’ opened in Pushkin Square in 1990, heralding an influx of Western goods and services into the closed Soviet economy. More than 30,000 Soviet customers waited in line for hours in the cold to try their first hamburger or Coca-Cola. Now, the opening of Vkusno & tochka marks a new trend towards isolation, as Russia’s war has left tens of thousands dead and its market untouched for some of the world’s largest multinationals. The name has been treated with frustration and some ridicule. “It’s a bit specific but interesting,” a Muscovite told the Kremlin-sponsored Life website. “The MakDak would be better,” said another, referring to the shorthand often used by the Russians to refer to McDonald’s. ` McDonald’s replicas are not a new trend. A McDonald’s in Russian-occupied Donetsk was renamed DonMak after the city was occupied after the start of the war in 2014. Alexander Govor, the chain’s owner, said up to 7 billion rubles (, 98.63 million) would be invested this year in the 51,000-strong company, Reuters reported. However, BBC Russian reported that the sanctioned Sovcombank may also have played a role in the takeover, saying that Govor would not have enough funds to acquire the entire fast-food chain on his own. As the restaurant reopened on Sunday, a protester held up a sign saying, “Bring back the Big Mac.” They quickly escorted him out.
