Russia Rebrands Former McDonald’s Spots Nationwide

A new dawn has come for Russia’s fast-food lovers as former McDonald’s restaurants reopen under new branding and ownership, more than three decades after the arrival of the hugely popular Western fast-food chain.

The relaunch will begin on June 12, 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 is proving that once again it does not need the west. At least not as much as the west would like.

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 Feb 24.

McDonald’s iconic “Golden Arches” have been taken down at sites in Moscow and St Petersburg, where they will make way for a new logo comprising two fries and a hamburger patty against a green background.

The reopening will initially cover 15 locations in Moscow and the surrounding region, later extending to other parts.