Where have all the McDonalds gone? . . . (in Russia)
After harsh sanctions were recently implemented
I haven’t posted for awhile, in part because of a recent trip to Moscow, during which I contracted some virus that put me out of commission for a few days. I do have photos and videos of that trip that I will be posting, mainly of the newish highway on which we drove down there. But for now, here’s a quickie based on a jaunt we made yesterday.
As some of us may be aware and as I’ve indicated in other posts, recent western sanctions have resulted in the ceasing of operations of many western companies—but not all—here in Russia. One of the more high-profile ones that ceased operations was McDonalds, which had opened a fairly large number of locations throughout the country. Heck, I even used to go periodically to a McDonalds near where I stayed in Moscow nearly 30 years ago, located right off Sokolniki Park.
With the closing of McDonalds’ operations in Russia, some resourceful Russian business concern decided they would step in to fill the void after the fast-food chain’s exit, providing a very similar sort of fare and service. Being unusually early for an appointment we had yesterday right off of Nevsky Prospekt—St. Petersrburg’s equivalent of New York City’s Broadway or Chicago’s Michigan Avenue—we happened to pass right by what might be this city’s main McDonalds workalike. I decided to stop in for a quick order of fries and to see what it was like inside.
The re-incarnated McDonalds is called Вкусно - и Точка/Vkusno - i Tochko (“Tasty - That’s It” is the official translation of the name, though other variants are possible). Inside, as will be clear from the video, the layout and decor are very similar to McDonalds locations to be found throughout the world that, instead of having been purpose-built from the ground up, need to be located inside some already-existing (usually historic) building. This one even had what appeared to be a couple of homeless folks attempting to sleep in booths by laying their heads onto their arms folded before them on the table tops they were sitting at—a scene to be encountered in many an American inner-city McDonalds.
Below is the video I discreetly made, accompanied by a bit of commentary: