The successor to McDonald’s in Russia, “Vkusno – i tochka,” reopened the first batch of 15 restaurants in Moscow and its suburbs, three months after the US fast-food chain ended its business in Russia…reports Asian Lite News
Oleg Paroev, General Director of the company, on Sunday announced the new brand meaning “Delicious — and that’s it,” during a ceremony at the restaurant in downtown Moscow’s Pushkinskaya Square, the first McDonald’s restaurant in the Soviet Union that opened in 1990.
Another 50 outlets will be reopened on Monday, and nearly 200 outlets are expected to reopen by the end of June. All of McDonald’s former 850 restaurants across Russia are expected to reopen by the end of summer, Paroev told reporters.
According to a previous deal, the rebranded fast-food network will use new names on the menu and retain all employees under equivalent terms for at least two years, Xinhua news agency reported.
McDonald’s suspended its business in Russia on March 14. The company announced its withdrawal from Russia on May 16 and three days later sold the assets to Russian businessman Alexander Govor, a former McDonald’s licensee.
Two days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law on non-compliance by Moscow with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Kremlin announced.
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In accordance with the law, Russia will not abide by the ECHR rulings adopted after March 15, when the country announced its exit from the Council of Europe, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying.
Besides, compensations assessed by the ECHR will be made only in rubles and transferred only to accounts in Russian banks.
The bill was approved by the Federation Council, or the upper house of Russian Parliament, on June 8.