New logo (two fries and a burger in front of a green background), new owner and now new name.
Russia definitely seems to be turning the McDonald's page.
The former restaurants in Russia of the American group, which announced its departure after more than 30 years of presence in response to the conflict in Ukraine, have been renamed "Vkousno i totchka" (Delicious and point) by their new Russian owner.
"The new name is
Vkusno i totchka
," said the general manager of the Russian group Oleg Paroïev during a press conference, while its owner Alexandre Govor assured that the 51,000 former McDonald's employees across Russia would keep their jobs.
“I am very proud that the honor of developing this company has been given to me.
I am ambitious and I plan not only to open the 850 restaurants, but also to develop new ones,” he added.
Alexandre Govor, 62, has until now owned franchised McDonald's restaurants in several cities in Siberia.
Slight price increase to be expected
The "showcase" restaurant under the Russian flag is due to open this Sunday at 9 a.m. in Pushkin Square, Moscow, but a few others have already opened, according to Russian agencies.
Pushkin Square is the historic restaurant where the first McDonald's opened in January 1990, just under two years before the collapse of the USSR.
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, visited this emblematic restaurant on Sunday morning, assuring on Telegram messaging that “the quality of service would remain the same”.
A total of fifteen outlets are due to open in the Russian capital on Sunday.
Oleg Paroïev clarified that the prices of the hamburgers would be slightly higher than those charged by the American chain due to inflation in Russia, while ensuring that they would remain "affordable".
McDonald's, which had temporarily closed its stores in Russia in early March, announced in mid-May that it was definitively withdrawing from the country and selling all its activities, justifying this decision by the need to "remain inflexible" as to its "values".
