Rebranded 'Tasty' McDonald's restaurants open in Russia

The American fast-food company closed 850 restaurants in the country after its invasion of Ukraine

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

Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine

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".

This was part of the grand reopening of 15 of the 850 former McDonald's outlets under new ownership and rebranding. The new name, Vkusno & tochka, translates as "Tasty and that's it" and famous offerings such as the Big Mac are off the menu.

US fast-food company McDonalds pulled out of Russia in May, after closing all its restaurants in the country in March in protest against the war in Ukraine. The brand entered Russia 32 years ago — prompting long queues — in a symbolic sign of thawing tensions between East and West.

It employed 62,000 people in Russia, who largely kept their jobs in the takeover by a Russian businessman.

The same but different

The queues, and menus offerings, were smaller than in 1990 on Sunday. Some said they could not taste the difference between the new and old food.

"The taste has stayed the same," Sergei, 15, told Reuters, as he tucked into a chicken burger and fries. "The cola is different, but there really is no change to the burger."

Illustrating the rush the new owners have had to rebrand in time for the launch, much of the packaging for fries and burgers was plain white, as were drink cups. Takeaway bags were plain brown. The old McDonald's logo on packets of ketchup and other sauces were covered over with makeshift black markings.

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.

"For three months, we did not work," said Ruzanna, manager of a Moscow branch that is [scheduled to] open in July. "Everyone is very pleased."

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.

"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 that prices would likely rise due to inflation, although not higher than its competitors.

Who owns the Russian McDonald's stores now?

Russian businessman Alexander Govor attends a former McDonald's restaurant during reopening under a new brand Vkusno I Tochka in Moscow. EPA

Siberian businessman Alexander Govor is the new owner of the stores. He told Reuters he was striving to launch something similar to the iconic Big Mac.

"We don't have the right to use some colours, we don't have the right to use the golden arches, we don't have the right to use any mention of McDonald's," he said.

"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's. We will definitely do something similar. We will try to do something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."

McDonald's had told employees that the war in Ukraine, which has been raging for over 100 days, was "impossible to ignore".

“Some might argue that providing access to food and continuing to employ tens of thousands of ordinary citizens is surely the right thing to do,” chief executive Chris Kempczinski said in a letter to employees.

“But it is impossible to ignore the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.”

Other US and global brands have pulled out of Russia, too, including Starbucks and Coca-Cola.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine - in pictures

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron visit Irpin, outside Kyiv, and survey damage following Russia's invasion. AP

Ukrainian troops fire with a French self-propelled Caesar howitzer towards Russian positions at a front line in the eastern region of Donbas. AFP

Workers pour molten steel into a mould at a foundry in Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region, in an area under Russian military control. AP

Russian soldiers guard an area next to a field of wheat in the Zaporizhzhia region. AP

A US Marine Corps Harrier fighter jet is parked on board the assault ship USS Kearsarge, during the Baltops 22 exercise in the Baltic Sea. Reuters

A man picks up debris after his house was destroyed by shelling in the city of Dobropillia, Donbas region. AFP

Smoke rises after shelling in Ukraine's breakaway enclave of Donetsk. AFP

A mascot is wrapped in the colours of the Ukrainian flag before the country's Uefa Nations League football match against the Republic of Ireland in Lodz, Poland. Reuters

Russian soldiers walk near a monument at the entrance of Mariupol, which has been painted in the colours of the Russian flag. AFP

French troops at an air base in Constanta, Romania. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit the base in a show of support for Nato and European allies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. AP

Svitlana Nazarenko, sister of Mykhailo Tereshchenko, is comforted by her son during her brother's funeral in Kyiv. The Ukrainian soldier was killed in the Donbas region. Getty

Russian troops demine the bay and beach of Mariupol, Ukraine. AFP

A Russian soldier inspects the Azovstal steel plant, in Mariupol, in territory which is under control of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. AP

A house heavily damaged by Russian shelling is seen through a broken window, in the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region. AP

Maryna Golovnia sits in a van with her children as they leave their home in Bakhmut, amid fighting. Getty Images

Ballet dancer Mykyta Sukhorukov rehearses before the evening Gala Concert of the Ukrainian National Ballet, in Kosice, Slovakia. Getty Images

A Ukrainian soldier looks on from inside a tank at a position in the breakaway Donetsk enclave, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. Reuters

Boys play on top of a damaged Russian tank in Kyiv. EPA

An Orthodox priest blesses Ukrainian soldiers during a service at a church in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. EPA

A damaged Ukrainian navy ship, the 'Donbas', lies partially submerged near the pier in the port city of Mariupol. EPA

Ukrainian soldiers load a projectile into a tank near the small city of Svitlodarsk, in the breakaway Ukrainian enclave of Donetsk. EPA

Smoke rises after the Russian military struck a compound at the Azot Chemical Plant in Lysychansk, Ukraine. Reuters

A Russian serviceman on patrol outside the Ukrainian town of Schastia. AFP

Mourners gather during the funeral of Ukrainian serviceman Ruslan Skalskyi in Lviv. AFP

Civilians are evacuated from Lysychansk, in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. AFP

A man passes two destroyed military lorries in Lysychansk. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers run for cover during clashes with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

An elderly woman reacts as Ukrainian soldiers lead her to safety during a battle with Russian troops in Lysychansk. AFP

A wounded woman is assisted by Ukrainian soldiers in Lysychansk. AFP

A house burns after being shelled in Lysychansk. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks on a radio at a front line in the Donbas region. AFP

A man walks next to a damaged building in Lysychansk. Reuters

A man with children rides a bicycle along an empty street, as smoke rises after Russian shelling in Lysychansk. Reuters

An unexploded shell is stuck in the ground in Lysychansk. euters

An elderly woman, who was evacuated from the Lysychansk area, cries moments before travelling by train to western Ukraine from Pokrovsk railway station. AP