McDonald's restaurants reopen in Russia as "Vkusno i Tochka"

The former McDonald’s restaurants, which have changed ownership and brand, begun to open in Russia after three months of downtime. Now they are called «Vkusno i Tochka.

At least 15 restaurants resumed work in Moscow and Moscow Oblast on June 12. Fifty more restaurants will open on June 13, and up to the end of June — about 200 restaurants. From 50 to 100 restaurants will be opened per week, the chain’s General Director Oleg Paroev said at the restaurant opening ceremony on Pushkinskaya Square.

After the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in connection with the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, McDonald’s closed its restaurants in Russia on May 14, and on May 16 the company announced its withdrawal from the Russian market.

«The humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and the accelerating unpredictability of the operating environment led McDonald’s to conclude that continued ownership of the business in Russia was not feasible and did not align with McDonald’s values,» the company explained.

McDonald’s has the right to buy the business back on market conditions within 15 years, the Federal Antimonopoly Service reported earlier.

McDonald’s had been operating in Russia for more than 30 years. The first restaurant of the chain was opened in 1990 on Pushkinskaya Square.