Stars Coffee, a Russian chain that replaced US coffee giant Starbucks in Russia after it left due to the Ukrainian conflict, opened its first restaurant in Moscow on Friday with the slogan “Bucks is gone, the stars have added.”
“Why STARS? Because the new brand brings together the stars of the gastronomic industry,” Russian rapper Timati and restaurateur Anton Pinski, who acquired the 130 Starbucks restaurants in Russia at the end of July, explain in a press release.
Brown has been added to the logo with the traditional colors of the American chain -green and white- and the little mermaid has been replaced by a girl with a “kokochnik”, a traditional Russian headdress.
The syrups for the coffee will now be made locally, while the main course and dessert menu will be completely redesigned by new chefs to offer quality “better than ever”, says Stars Coffee in a press release.
80% of employees stayed
Unlike the “Russian McDonald’s” launched in June with much fanfare, Stars Coffee did not carry out a huge publicity campaign for the opening of its first restaurant on Novy Arbat street, in the center of the Russian capital.
A modest official ceremony was held Thursday night for a few celebrities and a handful of journalists, and the general public was invited from Friday.
All of the chain’s restaurants are due to open in Russia by the end of September, according to the owners.
About 80% of some 2,000 employees who worked for Starbucks agreed to stay with the new chain, according to the same source.
Starbucks, which had temporarily closed the 130 establishments that bear its name in Russia after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, announced at the end of May that it had made the decision to permanently leave the country.
The American chain known for its “latte” and “frappuccino” had opened its first cafe in Russia in 2007 and operated there through a partner, a Kuwaiti group that owned and managed the licensed establishments.
Following the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine and the imposition of economic sanctions, major Western companies came under great pressure to distance themselves from Moscow, for ethical reasons or difficulties in doing business.
Source: BFM TV
