McDonald's has announced that it plans to reopen restaurants in Ukraine, having closed them in March amid the conflict with Russia.
The US fast-food company said that after extensive consultation with Ukrainian officials, suppliers and security specialists, and in consideration of employees’ request to return to work, it had decided to institute a phased plan to reopen some restaurants in Kyiv and western Ukraine, where other businesses have safely reopened.
The company has continued to pay the salaries of more than 10,000 employees, and said that the reopening would "support a small but important sense" of normality.
"And Ukrainian officials have advised that businesses resuming operations will support the local economy and the Ukrainian people," it said.
McDonald's had 109 restaurants in Ukraine, but has not confirmed how many will reopen. It pulled out of Russia in May, after closing all 850 outlets in protest against the war in Ukraine.
However, some reopened in June under the ownership of Vkusno i tochka, which translates into "Tasty and that's it".
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Staff of a former McDonald's restaurant prepare for its reopening under a new brand, Vkusno i Tochka (Tasty and that's it), in Moscow on Sunday. EPA -
Wrapped double cheeseburgers in the new restaurant. Its opening comes after US fast-food company McDonald's pulled out of Russia in May, after closing all its restaurants in the country in March due to the war in Ukraine. AFP -
The first 15 rebranded outlets open in Moscow on Sunday. EPA -
Oleg Paroev, chief executive of Vkusno & tochka, said the company was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June and all 850 by the end of the summer. EPA -
The chain will keep its old McDonald's interior, but will expunge any references to its former name, said Mr Paroev, who was appointed Russia's McDonald's chief executive only weeks before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24. AFP -
Siberian businessman Alexander Govor is the new owner of the outlets. He told Reuters he was striving launch something similar to the famous Big Mac. AFP -
'Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience,' Mr Paroev told a media conference in the restaurant. He said the chain would keep 'affordable prices' but added they would likely rise due to inflation but not higher than its competitors. AFP -
The rebranding coincided with Russia Day, a holiday marking the country's independence. AFP -
Scores of people queued outside what was formerly McDonald's flagship restaurant in Pushkin Square, central Moscow on Sunday. The outlet sported a new logo - a stylised burger with two fries - plus a slogan reading: 'The name changes, love stays'. Reuters -
Some people said they could not taste the difference between the new and old food. EPA -
Workers use a crane to dismantle the McDonald's golden arches while removing the logo signage from a drive-through restaurant in the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad. Reuters -
A worker carries dismantled McDonald's golden arches outside a restaurant in St Petersburg. Reuters -
Traces of the dismantled signage are seen on the facade of a McDonald's restaurant in St Petersburg. Reuters
The company said it was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June — and all 850 by the end of the summer.
After initial big queues, the restaurant chain ran into problems with sourcing potatoes due to supply chain disruption, leading to French fries running out — potentially until autumn.
The outlets, which sport a new logo, offer burgers and fries, which some said tasted and appeared much the same as they did under the McDonald's branding.
KFC and Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands said earlier this month that nearly all of its stores in the country had reopened.
Other US brands to exit Russia include Starbucks, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, as they sought to comply with sanctions and deal with threats from the Kremlin that foreign-owned assets could be seized.
