McDonald's in Russia reopens under new ownership, renamed 'Vkusno & tochka'

The first 15 restaurants of former McDonald's Corp will reopen in Moscow on Sunday under new ownership and a new name, "Vkusno & tochka", which means "Tasty & that's it", the company said.

The new, post-war dawn for Russia's fast-food scene will initially see 15 rebranded restaurants open in and around the capital after the U.S. fast-food king turned its back on the country for ethical reasons over the invasion of Ukraine.

The reopening of the outlets, three decades after McDonald's first opened in Moscow in a symbolic thaw between East and West, could provide a test of how successfully Russia's economy can become more self-sufficient and withstand Western sanctions.

Oleg Paroev, chief executive of Vkusno & tochka, said the company was planning to reopen 200 restaurants in Russia by the end of June and all 850 by the end of the summer.

"Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambience," Paroev told a media conference in what used to be the first McDonald's restaurant that opened in Soviet Moscow in 1990.

The rebranded fast-food chain will keep its old McDonald's interior but will expunge any references to its old name, said Paroev, who was appointed Russia McDonald's CEO in February, weeks before Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Paroev said the company would keep "affordable prices" but did not rule out that they would go up slightly in the near term.