Russia saw McDonald’s exit amid the Ukraine war, but their own version Vkusno & Tochka, translating to ‘tasty and that’s it’, replaced the fast-food chain. However, customers have complained of poor food quality, sharing pictures of mouldy buns and insects in their meals. 

Ksenia Sobchak, a Russian television personality and vocal opponent of President Vladimir Putin’s regime, said on Telegram “It looks like they don’t quite honour the standards of McDonald’s, at least in terms of product quality control. Today at least three cases were recorded of burgers with mouldy buns sold to customers.”

McDonald’s first opened in Russia nearly 30 years back, after the Berlin wall fell and eventually sold all 700 of its eateries to the new operators who’d promised a better dining experience. 

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Due to its separation from the McDonald’s brand name, the new chain cannot use some of the iconic food item monikers like BigMac or McFlurry. Oleg Paroev, the CEO of McDonald’s Russia, who now heads the new chain, had told Reuters “The fact [the Big Mac] has now gone from the menu does not help us”, adding, “Our guests will get used to the new name and understand that they are no longer at a ‘Mac’, but at a ‘tochka’.” 

The new chain has a logo which symbolizes “two sticks of yellow fried potatoes” and a burger, Russian state media channel TASS reported while noting that the green background symbolized “the quality of products and service that our guests are accustomed to”. 

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When McDonald’s decided to sell its business in Russia, the fast-food chain said “continued ownership of the business in Russia is no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald’s values.” 

Putin sent his army into Ukraine on February 24, vowing to “denazify” the country, and drew massive global backlash including the exit of many businesses like McDonald’s.