Rebranded McDonald's outlets open in Russia under new ownership

The famous Golden Arches have been taken down and replaced with a new logo comprising two fries and a hamburger patty against a green background.

Vkusno & tochka reopened on Sunday in Pushkin Square in what was McDonald's first restaurant in Soviet Moscow in 1990, when it sold as many as 30,000 burgers, but the queue outside the restaurant was much smaller than three decades ago.

Initially 15 rebranded restaurants will open in and around the capital and another 200 restaurants by end-June and all 850 by the end of summer, executives said on Sunday.

McDonald's flagship Big Mac is missing, but other popular items are on a smaller menu selling at slightly lower prices.

A double cheeseburger was going for 129 roubles (€2.20) compared with roughly 160 under McDonald's and a fish burger for 169 roubles, compared with about 190 previously.

Siberian businessman Alexander Govor has taken over the franchise operation through his firm GiD LLC. He has been a McDonald's licensee since 2015 and had helped the chain expand into remote Siberia, where he operated 25 restaurants.

McDonald's will have an option to buy its restaurants in Russia back within 15 years, Russian authorities have said.

McDonald's former Russian head Oleg Paroev is running the business as chief executive of Vkusno & tochka.

Until the takeover, he had worked for McDonald's for seven years, including as chief financial officer of the Russian business for six-and-a-half years until November 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He was appointed Russia McDonald's CEO in February, weeks before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Govor will retain the chain's tens of thousands of employees for at least two years, McDonald's said last month.