Russian McDonald's Are No More, but Now There's This

Update: You can't get a Big Mac in Russia anymore, but you can get a burger at Vkusno & tochka—and plenty of people apparently did on opening day. About 50 of the successor restaurant to McDonald's opened in the Moscow area over June 12 and 13 under that new name, which means "Tasty and that's it." CEO Oleg Paroev tells Reuters the chain sold about 120,000 burgers on day one. "We have never seen such daily turnover in the whole time McDonald's has worked in Russia," he said, though he noted that initial bump isn't expected to be sustained. There were formerly about 850 McDonald's in Russia; new owner Alexander Govor hopes to have 1,000 Vkusno & tochka locations in place within 5 years. Our original story from June 11 follows:

Sunday is Russia Day, and along with the festivities celebrating the country's independence, citizens in some locations will be able to grab a cheeseburger and fries where their old McDonald's used to stand. Reuters reports that 15 of the fast-food giant's former restaurants—shuttered earlier this year after the brand exited Russia due to the war in Ukraine—will open Sunday under a rebrand, though it's not yet clear what the eatery's new name will be. What has been revealed is the updated restaurant's new logo, which features a hamburger patty and two french fries in the shape of the letter "M," against a green background. The Guardian notes that some are already criticizing the logo, comparing it to Marriott's.

Russian media reports that the country's patent office received from the new restaurant chain a list of suggested names, among them "Fun and Tasty" and "The Same One," per Insider. The RIA Novosti news agency reports that the McDonald's app in Russia has been renamed "My Burger," though the company says that's just a placeholder. Among the locations set for a grand opening Sunday is the one in Moscow's Pushkin Square, which was the site of the first McDonald's to open in Russia in 1990. McDonald's announced last month it was selling its restaurants in Russia to businessman Alexander Govor, who says he hopes to open all 850 of the former McDonald's restaurants within the next two months, as well as expand to open even more down the line. (More McDonald's stories.)