McDonald’s has been rebranded in Russia and the new restaurant’s logo has been revealed. Last month, the fast food chain announced its intention to leave the country due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As the popular western fast food chain exits Russia, Reuters reports that new ownership will repurpose old McDonald’s brick-and-mortars as a new version of the restaurant franchise that will open across the country. The unnamed franchise’s logo features a green background with a red circle and two yellow, oblong shapes that are meant to reference a burger and fries while also forming the rough shape of an “M.” If you squint your eyes and tilt your head you can totally see it. Reuters says that locations will begin to reopen with the new branding on Sunday — Russia Day.
In May, McDonald’s announced its decision to begin leaving Russia after more than 30 years of operation, and this announcement came two months after McDonald’s ceased operations in Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. As a part of the exodus, McDonald’s also said that it was looking to sell off the “entire portfolio of McDonald’s restaurants in Russia to a local buyer,” and would begin the process of “de-Arching,” those 800+ locations. McDonald’s is expecting to lose around $US1.4 ($2) billion from the exit, but CEO Chris Kempczinski said McDonald’s has “a commitment to our global community and must remain steadfast in our values.”
The Guardian, citing Russian state-owned news source RIA Novosti, says that the new chain was rumoured to be named “My Burger,” but RIA Novosti later learned that this was a placeholder name. 15 restaurants in the Moscow area will reopen with the new branding this Sunday according to Reuters, who also reported that locations in St. Petersburg and Moscow have seen the original McDonald’s branding removed.