June 09, 2024

Good Riddance, McDonald's


Good Riddance, McDonald's
McDonald's, before being kicked out. The Russian Life files

Anna Popova, head of Russia's consumer protection ministry Rospotrebnadzor, was quoted as being happy that one of the world's largest food chains left the country.

In her words, "there was no more joyful person than me" when McDonald's left Russia. She also hailed the Russian replacement of the chain, called "Tasty, Period," as "the flagship of healthy eating."

McDonald's, like many Western-owned chains, left Russia in March 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of heavy Western sanctions. In some ways, this has had negative economic consequences for everyday Russians.

In a twist, however, some popular brands were bought up by Russian investors, weakly rebranded, and continued operation with little interruption. In addition to Tasty, Period, Starbucks' Russian operations were taken over by a pro-Putin rapper and an entrepreneur and rebranded as "Stars" coffee (the mermaid is now a woman in a traditional Russian headdress). Similar treatments have been done to Domino's, KFC, Coca-Cola, and others.

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