McDonald’s will reopen some restaurants in Ukraine. This was announced this Thursday by the American company, five months after its closure after the invasion of the country by the Russian army, at the end of February. These gradual reopenings will affect establishments located in Kyiv and in the west of the country.
“We have decided to implement a phased plan for the reopening of certain restaurants in kyiv and western Ukraine, where other businesses have safely reopened,” the fast-food giant announced, in a letter from CEO Paul Pomroy, sent to employees and published. Thursday.
The group says it made this decision “after extensive consultations and discussions with Ukrainian officials, suppliers and security specialists, and taking into account the request that our employees return to work.” “We have spoken at length with our employees who have expressed a strong desire to return to work and to see our restaurants reopen in Ukraine, where it is safe and responsible to do so,” specifies the McDo boss.
“In recent months, the belief has grown stronger that this would support a small but important sense of normalcy. And Ukrainian officials have indicated that businesses resuming operations will support the local economy and the Ukrainian people,” he said.
A good sign for international companies
The decision was hailed on Facebook by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba: “Mac is coming back.” “The return of a major American company is above all a signal to international companies about the possibility of working in Ukraine, despite the war,” he said.
“These are workplaces, taxes for Ukraine’s budget and the survival of our economy in times of Russian aggression. It is also part of Ukraine’s recovery,” Kuleba said.
Therefore, McDonald’s teams “in the coming months” will start working with suppliers, but also prepare stores, “bring back restaurant teams and employees.” They will also work to “implement enhanced procedures and protocols to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.”
The fast food chain’s margins were hit in the second quarter by restaurant closures in Ukraine, but also in Russia. The group’s net profit had fallen 46% to 1.2 billion dollars.
Source: BFM TV
