McDonald’s iconic ‘Golden Arches’ have been taken down at sites in Moscow and St Petersburg on Sunday, where they will make way for a new logo comprising two fries and a hamburger patty against a green background, as former McDonald’s Corp restaurants reopen under new branding and ownership, more than three decades after the arrival of the hugely popular Western fast-food chain.
Also Read: McDonald’s to leave Russia after more than three decades over Ukraine conflict
The relaunch will begin on Russia Day, a patriotic holiday celebrating the country’s independence, at the same flagship location in Moscow’s Pushkin Square where McDonald’s first opened in Russia in January 1990.
In the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union crumbled, McDonald’s came to embody a thawing of Cold War tensions and was a vehicle for millions of Russians to sample American food and culture. The brand’s exit is now a powerful symbol of how Russia and the West are once again turning their backs on each other.
McDonald’s last month said it was selling its restaurants in Russia to one of its local licensees, Alexander Govor. The deal marked one of the most high-profile business departures since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24.
Also Read: McDonald’s food being sold online at exorbitant prices in Russia after ceasing operations
The reopening will initially cover 15 locations in Moscow and the surrounding region.
The new chain’s name remains a closely guarded secret. A change in the name of the McDonald’s app on Friday to ‘My Burger’ generated some online excitement, but the chain’s press team said this was only temporary, the RBC daily reported.
A motto on the app’s home page read: “Some things are changing, but stable work is here to stay.”
Russian media, citing leaked images of the new menu, have reported the renaming of dishes such as the Filet-O-Fish to ‘Fish Burger’ and Chicken McNuggets to simply ‘Nuggets’.
[with inputs from agencies]
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