McDonald's Replacement Opens Up In Russia With Different Name

People in Russia have rushed to get their fast food fix now there’s a new McDonald’s replacement open.

More than a dozen fast food restaurants which were once McDonald’s have reopened in Russia with new branding, and queues have been out the door as eager diners get their junk food fix.

The new dining option comes after McDonald's shut down all of its stores across Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The 850 stores were then sold to Russian businessman Alexandor Govor, who already had 25 restaurants in Russia. Govor was allowed to open the restaurants provided the recognisable branding and McDonald’s name and golden arches were not used.

The new restaurants, operating under the new name Vkusno-i Tochka (Tasty and that’s it), opened the first 15 of the revamped spots to the public. The first restaurant opened in the flagship branch on Pushkin Square, where the very first Moscow McDonald's opened 32 years ago.

For eager diners, the menu is not too far removed from its McDonald's predecessor. The restaurant appeared to be an intentional copy of the American chain with ish burgers, chicken nuggets and double cheeseburgers all on the menu.

At the opening, Oleg Paroyev, CEO of Vkusno i Tochka, said: “Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience.”

Vkusno-i Tochka is moving fast to reopen all branches with the general manager hoping to have 200 up and running by the end of the month.

While the restaurants have undergone a makeover, they still resemble some similarity to their previous McDonald's life. The new logo features a red circle and two yellow lines – representing a beef burger patty and french fries – which is not dissimilar to the classic colours of the fast food giant.

As Govor plans to get as many new restaurants open as possible, he has also agreed to pay the salaries of all McDonald's staff until closing. McDonald's also guaranteed its 62,000 workers in Russia to have employment for the next two years as part of its sale.

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