Jim Heinz, Associated Press Posted Sunday, June 12, 2022, 8:16 AM EDT Last Updated on Sunday, June 12, 2022, 9:26 AM EDT
MOSCOW (AP) – Three months after the closure of McDonald’s in Russia, hundreds of people stormed its famous former store on Pushkin Square in Moscow when the restaurant opened on Sunday under a Russian owner and a new name.
In March, McDonald’s shut down its corporate restaurants in Russia. Although some, run by franchisees, remained open, the operation of the multinational fast food chain was among the most visible responses from Russia’s foreign troop companies.
Two months later, McDonald’s decided to leave Russia altogether and sold its 850 restaurants to Alexander Govor, who held licenses for 25 franchises in Siberia.
Speech moves quickly to reopen the closed exits. Just a few hours before the opening of the restaurant Pushkin Square, the new name of the Russian chain was announced: Tasty-and Point (Tasty-period).
The logo is different, but still evokes the golden arches: a circle and two yellow oblong ones, representing a beef patty and french fries, configured in a stylized M.
Fifteen former McDonald’s were due to reopen in Moscow on Sunday. Oleg Paroev, general director of the chain, said he aims to open 200 by the end of the month.
As part of a sale deal whose monetary terms were not announced, the new operation agreed to detain all 62,000 people hired at McDonald’s before its release.
The crowd in Pushkin Square, however lively and lively, could not be compared to the turnout for the McDonald’s in 1990, when people waited in line for hours. At the time, McDonald’s had a psychological and political resonance beyond hamburgers.
The opening was the first taste of most Muscovites of Western consumerism and service efficiency, as well as a sign that the Soviet Union was slowly lowering its vigilance and allowing foreign culture into the country.
On Sunday, this earlier symbolism echoed through Sunday’s reopening with a hint of nostalgia.
“This is a historic place – the flagship of McDonald’s,” Speech told reporters. “I am sure he will be the flagship for us.
Inside, the restaurant looked like a fraternal twin to his former self. There were touch screens for ordering and counter staff wearing familiar polo uniforms.
“We are sure that our clients will not notice a difference between us,” Paroev said. However, he said, the company will look for a new soft drink supplier as it has limited stocks of Coca-Cola.
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