The war in Ukraine: long lines and many selfies at the “last” McDonald’s in Russia

“More than half an hour of waiting, but it’s worth it”Alina and Igor told Efe after leaving one of the few McDonald’s establishments that still operates in the Russian capital and they will drop the blind from one day to the next because of Western sanctions against this country because of the campaign military in Ukraine.

In the queue to buy at the “last McDonald’s”, as it was baptized by a group of young people waiting their turn, there were dozens of people.

Most of those who gathered near the famous place, located on the territory of a railway station in Moscow, were teenagers or parents with children, but there were also adult couples.

Tatiana and Maxim are in their fifties and admit that McDonald’s is one of their favorite places.

“Lately we don’t get along very well, not like 20-30 years ago, when we were kids, but now that they’re close we need to say goodbye,” says Tatiana.

Photo of souvenir

Lots of McDonald’s lovers they want to immortalize what was your last visit to a local of the famous chain.

So, some young people walk away from boxes carrying soft drinks and hamburgers immediately took their cellphones to pose with newly recovered food in a selfie.

Others ask their friends to take a picture of them sinking their teeth into a Big Mac.

“Make me different, make me different”question of a young man, while his friends do not stop laughing and suggest the main character of the picture to make different faces.

Slate and new account

Despite the effusive farewell from McDonald’s, many citizens will be preparing to accept his mysterious Russian successor.

And this is the 850 restaurants the chain bought this May of Russian businessman Alexandr Govorwhich has already operated 25 McDonald’s stores in Siberia.

The new owner plans to keep the old menu. At least that will do the establishments located in Moscow, promised this week the mayor of the capital, Sergey Sobyanin.

Expect that the first “Russian McDonald’s” will open next June 12, in conjunction with Russia Day, a national holiday in this country.

That yes, until now the name of the new fast food business was not known, that you will not be able to copy the legendary letter M in your advertising image.

goodbye old friend

McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Russia in 1990shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, making it for many as a harbinger of the collapse of the “iron curtain”.

The first American restaurant chain appeared in Pushkinkaya Squarein the heart of Moscow, and flooded at that time by Soviet citizens, eager to try the famous hamburgers of which they had heard so much.

Over the next three decades, McDonald’s restaurants accompanied the Russians in all the internal and external turmoil and they come to gain a good reputation among families with childrenmotorists, office workers and many other categories of workers looking for a little respite from their daily routine in the hustle and bustle of big cities.

But in the spring of 2022, the chain announced its definite departure from the country due to Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

McDonald’s Russia explained to Efe that it was selling the business provides for the upkeep of jobs of tens of thousands of chain employees in Russia.

A spokesman for the group said Russian McDonald’s has approximately 60,000 workers, including those working in its franchises, and they will all have independent leadership to continue their working relationship with the new brand.

“goodbye old friend. The world is no longer the same no matter how hard it is for us to comprehend, but having a regular hamburger in your hand helps maintain a short -term sense of stability, ”a Muscovite wrote in a forum, whose members participated in the selection of the new name.for the replacement of McDonald’s.

Source: EFE

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