McDonald's Successor Opens in Moscow

Three months after McDonald's suspended operations in Russia, hundreds of people streamed into its famous former outlet on Moscow's Pushkin Square as the restaurant reopened Sunday under a Russian owner and a new name.

In March, McDonald's halted operations of its company-run restaurants, though some run by franchisees continued operation, in one of the most visible protests by foreign companies over Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

Two months later it decided to leave Russia altogether and sold its 850 restaurants to Alexander Govor, a licensee for 25 McDonald's in Siberia.

Govor is moving fast to reopen the outlets, so much so that it wasn't until a couple of hours before the Pushkin Square outlet opened that the operation's name was announced, Vkusno — i Tochka (Tasty — period).

Fifteen of the former McDonald's were reopening in Moscow on Sunday and Oleg Paroyev, general director of the new chain, said he aims for 200 to be open by the end of the month.

As part of the sales deal, whose monetary amount hasn't been announced, the new chain has agreed to retain all the 62,000 people employed by McDonald's prior to its Russian exit.

The crowd at the Pushkin Square outlet, however sizable and lively, was no match for the turnout when McDonald's opened there in 1990 and people waited in line for hours. At that time, McDonald's had psychological and political resonance that went much deeper than just getting a quick snack.

The opening was the first taste for most Muscovites of Western consumerism and service efficiency and a sign that the Soviet Union was slowly dropping its guard and allowing foreign culture into the country.

That resonance echoed through Sunday's reopening with a note of nostalgia.

Inside, the restaurant had familiar touch screens for placing orders and people behind the counter wearing familiar polo-shirt uniforms.

The logo is different, but still evokes its predecessor: a circle and two yellow oblongs — representing a beef patty and french fries — configured into a stylized M.

"We're sure that our customers won't notice a difference," Paroyev said.

However, he said, the company will seek a new soft drinks supplier as it has limited stocks of Coca-Cola.

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