The fast-food chain all set to replace McDonald’s in Russia has unveiled its new logo as it prepares to relaunch on Sunday.
The new branding will replace the iconic golden arches of McDonald’s with a circle and two lines on a green background, said to represent a burger and two French fries, BBC reported.
In March, McDonald’s shuttered its outlets in Russia due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Sistema PBO took over the management of the restaurants.
The Chicago burger giant said that billionaire Russian businessman Alexander Govor, one of its existing local licensees, agreed to buy all 847 McDonald’s restaurants in Russia and operate them under a new name.
As the popular western fast food chain exits Russia, Reuters reports that new ownership will repurpose old McDonald’s brick-and-mortars as a new version of the restaurant franchise that will open across the country.
The unnamed franchise’s logo features a green background with a red circle and two yellow, oblong shapes that are meant to reference a burger and fries while also forming the rough shape of an “M.”
If you squint your eyes and tilt your head you can totally see it. Reuters says that locations will begin to reopen with the new branding on Sunday—Russia Day.
In May, McDonald’s announced its decision to begin leaving Russia after more than 30 years of operation, and this announcement came two months after McDonald’s ceased operations in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
As a part of the exodus, McDonald’s also said that it was looking to sell off the “entire portfolio of McDonald’s restaurants in Russia to a local buyer,” and would begin the process of “de-Arching,” those 800+ locations. McDonald’s is expecting to lose around $1.4 billion from the exit, but CEO Chris Kempczinski said McDonald’s has “a commitment to our global community and must remain steadfast in our values.
About Franchise
McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in the company in 1990 as the Cold War was coming to an end. In May 2022, due to Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, the company decided to pull out from the country after 30 years of successful operations.
Media reports stated that Siberian Oil magnate Alexander Govor took over the company’s business in Russia. McDonald’s retained the option to buy back with 15 years of the deal.
According to a report by The Moscow Times, McDonald’s new owner changed the company’s corporate name to Sistema PBO. The brand name is yet to be decided. Some names under consideration are ‘Tot Samyi’ (The Same) and ‘Svobodnaya Kassa’ (Available Cash Register).
According to TMT, certain names in the existing menu were also tweaked. Filet-O-Fish was changed to ‘Fish Burger’ and Royal Burgers were changed to ‘Grand’. The new app is named ‘My Burger’.
