Native name | Макдоналдс [1] |
---|---|
Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Restaurant |
Genre | Fast food |
Founded | 31 January 1990 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
Defunct | 1 December 2022 [2] [3] |
Fate | Withdrawal from the Russian market due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine |
Successor | Vkusno i tochka (2022–present) |
Headquarters | 26 Valovaya Street, , Russia |
Number of locations | 850 |
Area served | Russia |
Services | Master franchise |
Number of employees | 62,000 before dissolution |
Parent | McDonald's |
Website | mcdonalds.ru (archive) |
From 1990 to 2022, the American fast food chain McDonald's operated and franchised McDonald's restaurants in Russia.
After 14 years of planning and negotiations, McDonald's Canada president George Cohon was permitted to open the first McDonald's in Russia by the Soviet government in 1990. The entry of the iconic American brand into the country was seen as a symbol of ongoing economic and political reforms in the Soviet Union. The company's operations in the country further developed after the collapse of the USSR the following year, with the decades that followed seeing massive expansion in Russia. By 2022, 84% of locations were corporate-owned (through its Russian operating companies McDonald's LLC) (Russian : ООО «Макдоналдс») and CJSC Moscow-McDonald's (Russian : ЗАО «Москва-Макдоналдс»), with the remainder being owned by franchisees. [4]
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, McDonald's temporarily suspended all operations in the country on 8 March. In May, the company announced that it would sell all of its restaurants in Russia, [5] which were rebranded as Vkusno i tochka.
The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow was to be open to Western tourists, but the city had no fast food establishments to serve visitors. The Associated Press reported that "this means meals will be taken in proper Moscow restaurants. Dinner or lunch can take hours and the service and food vary widely." [6] Beginning in 1976, McDonald's of Canada attempted to open two portable restaurants during the Games, near Luzhniki Stadium, the primary venue. Despite criticism of the chain in Soviet magazine The New Times , the plan was nearly finalized with the Moscow Olympic Organizing Committee. [7] [6] In autumn 1979 Moscow mayor Vladimir Promyslov vetoed the plan, despite allowing "hundreds" of other Western companies as official suppliers. [6]
Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced various policies, including perestroika (1985) and glasnost (1986), as attempts to encourage investment from Western countries.
McDonald's of Canada president George Cohon aimed to try the market again, and was allowed to lead the project by the parent company. [7]
Plans were made public in November 1987, by Cohon, immediately after signing two preliminary agreements with the city council. [7] While employees would be Soviets, 50 to 75 Russian-Canadian or Russian-British employees would be hired to relocate. [7] Cohon faced skepticism. Some suggested the delay was caused by inconsistent quality amid the Soviet Union's meat shortages. [7]
The first McDonald's in the country had a grand opening on Moscow's Pushkin Square on 31 January 1990 with approximately 38,000 customers waiting in hours long lines, breaking company records at the time. [8] By 1997, there were 21 locations of the Russian chain. [9] Cohon visited the country frequently, with eight visits in 1997. [9] The chain hoped to open 30 restaurants in 1998. [9]
In January 2020, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its opening, the first Russian McDonald's on Moscow's Pushkin Square (which had previously been renovated in 2010) was redesigned by Landini Associates. [10] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exterior renovation was not completed until 2021. [11]
At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, McDonald's had over 800 restaurants across Russia with a total of 62,000 employees, "hundreds" of suppliers, and millions of daily customers. [12] [13]
Following pressure on social media, McDonald's announced on 8 March that it was temporarily suspending its operations in Russia while it would continue to pay its employees based in Russia. [12] [13] A BBC reporter, who attended the closing of the first McDonald's in Moscow, stated that the mood was solemn, with people flocking to witness the event, and it was also "hugely symbolic," as the first store's opening was "when iron curtains were crumbling & Russia was embracing the West." [13] Reuters also emphasized it had symbolic importance as a symbol of prospering American capitalism amid the collapse of the Soviet system. [14] In Russia, the Ronald McDonald House Charities was originally meant to remain active. [13] After the takeover of the former CFO Oleg Paroev McDonalds Russia's restaurants remained open as of mid March 2022.
On 18 March, it was reported that McDonald's remained unable to close some locations in airports or transit stations. [15]
On 16 May 2022, after temporarily closing its restaurants, the company decided to exit Russia altogether. [16] On 27 May 2022, it was reported that McDonald's was selling its stores in Russia to a local licensee, Alexander Govor. Patent filings showed "Fun and Tasty" and "The Same One" as potential brand names for the firm taking over. [17] Shortly after the announcement, McDonald's branding was removed and a new logo was introduced. [18]
On announcement of closure, Duma state speaker Vyacheslav Volodin was quoted as saying "McDonald's announced that they are closing. Well, good, close down! Tomorrow there won't be McDonald's, but Uncle Vanya's." A trademark was filed under that name, using the Golden Arches on their side with a line. [15] McDonald's has a 15-year option to buy its former restaurants back from the new Russian chain. [19]
Alexander Govor replaced the brand with Vkusno i tochka ("Simply Delicious"). The restaurants offer replacements for all menu items, but most are rebranded.
In November 2022, McDonald's announced that due to "extensive local supply issues" its licensee in neighbouring Belarus would stop operating under its name, and the restaurants were rebranded as Vkusno i tochka. [20]
On 1 December 2022, the last 9 Russian McDonald's restaurants at train stations and airports in St. Petersburg and Moscow closed. [2] [3]
In January 2023, McDonald's closed its restaurants in Kazakhstan, believed to be due to supply issues, with its restaurants expected to be rebranded. [21]
Burger King Corporation is an American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain. After Insta-Burger King ran into financial difficulties, its two Miami-based franchisees David Edgerton (1927–2018) and James McLamore (1926–1996) purchased the company in 1959 and renamed it "Burger King". Over the next half-century, the company changed hands four times and its third set of owners, a partnership between TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, took it public in 2002. In late 2010, 3G Capital of Brazil acquired a majority stake in the company in a deal valued at US$3.26 billion. The new owners promptly initiated a restructuring of the company to reverse its fortunes. 3G, along with its partner Berkshire Hathaway, eventually merged the company with the Canadian-based doughnut chain Tim Hortons under the auspices of a new Canadian-based parent company named Restaurant Brands International.
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., or simply Couche-Tard, is a Canadian multinational operator of convenience stores. The company has 14,302 stores across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Japan, China, and Indonesia. The company operates its corporate stores mainly under the Couche-Tard, Circle K, and On the Run brands but also under the affiliated brands Mac's Convenience Stores, go!, 7-jours, Dairy/Daisy Mart, Becker's and Winks.
Four Seasons Hotels Limited, trading as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is a Canadian luxury hotel and resort company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four Seasons currently operates more than 100 hotels and resorts worldwide. Since 2007, Bill Gates and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal have been majority owners of the company. As of January 2022, Cascade Investment owns 71.25% and Kingdom Holding Company owns 23.75% of the hotel and resort company.
Hesburger is a fast food chain based in Turku, Finland. Today, it is the largest hamburger restaurant chain in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with a market share larger than that of U.S.-based rival McDonald's. It further operates in Ukraine, Germany and Bulgaria. Hesburger primarily purveys fast foods such as hamburgers, fries, salads and desserts. The company name is derived from the nickname of the founder, Heikki "Hese" Salmela. The company also operates Hesecafes, which sell pastries and specialty coffees, as well as hot dog outlets. Some restaurants provide car wash services.
George Alan Cohon was an American-born Canadian businessman and lawyer who was the founder and senior chairman of McDonald's Canada and McDonald's Russia.
OTR-21 Tochka is a Soviet tactical ballistic missile. Its GRAU designation is 9K79. Its NATO reporting name is the SS-21 Scarab. One missile is transported per 9P129 vehicle and raised prior to launch. It uses an inertial guidance system.
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger stand and later turned the company into a franchise, with the Golden Arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1955, Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and, in 1961, bought out the McDonald brothers. Previously headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, it moved to nearby Chicago in June 2018. McDonald's is also a real estate company through its ownership of around 70% of restaurant buildings and 45% of the underlying land.
Boston Pizza (BP), known as Boston's The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar outside of Canada, is a Canadian multinational restaurant chain that owns and franchises locations in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. is an American franchisee company and is the largest Burger King franchisee in the world; Carrols owns and operates over 1,000+ Burger Kings, and 55 Popeyes restaurants. The company has operated Burger Kings since 1976 in locations across 23 U.S. states.
The American fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's was founded in 1940 and has since grown to the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue.
McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Limited is the Canadian master franchise of the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's, owned by the American parent McDonald's Corporation. One of Canada's largest fast-food restaurant chains, the franchise sells food items – including hamburgers, chicken, French fries and soft drinks – all across the country. McDonald's is known for its high fat and calorie foods, but it also has alternatives such as salads, juice and milk. McDonald's was Canada's largest food-service operator before being overtaken by Tim Hortons in 2005.
AmRest is a European multinational casual dining, fast-food restaurant and coffee shop operator headquartered in the Spanish capital, Madrid . The company runs more than 2300 locations, mostly franchises of KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks, and also Burger King until 2022, but also operates its own brands of restaurants. Apart from Spain, AmRest operates in Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and others.
The Big N’ Tasty is a hamburger sold by the international fast food chain McDonald's. It is designed to compete with the Whopper sandwich. A similar variation called the Big Tasty, without the center "N'", which was first released in Saudi Arabia, is sold outside the United States in parts of Europe, South America, South Africa, The Middle East, and Taiwan.
2022 in Russia is the 31st year of the Russian Federation.
Many private companies have ceased operations in Russia or donated or matched donations to the Ukrainian government or Ukrainian organizations in response to Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2014 and 2022. Others have applied various sanctions.
The 465th Missile Brigade ; Military Unit Number 61732) is a tactical ballistic missile brigade of the Belarusian Ground Forces. The sole active ballistic missile brigade of the Armed Forces of Belarus, the brigade is armed with Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles inherited from the Soviet Union and the Russian-supplied Iskander system. Based at the Yuzhny military base near Osipovichi, the brigade reports directly to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus.
Vkusno i Tochka is a Russian fast food chain based mostly in former McDonald's restaurants, with a menu that largely consists of rebranded McDonald's items. McDonald's closed their Russian stores in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Vkusno i Tochka restaurants mostly occupy former McDonald's restaurants that were sold to business magnate and entrepreneur Alexander Govor, who was a company licensee in Siberia.
Alexander Govor is a Russian business magnate and entrepreneur. He is the owner of Russian fast food restaurant Vkusno i tochka, which is based mostly in former McDonald's restaurants closed by McDonald's in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.