The first rebranded former McDonald's just opened in Russia — see how it compares to the real Golden Arches

Mary MeisenzahlJun 17, 2022, 04:14 IST

Photo by Semen Vasileyev/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

McDonald's pulled out of Russia amid the war with Ukraine, and sold its restaurants.
The first rebranded location just opened under a new name, with new logos and uniforms.

The first rebranded McDonald's just opened in Moscow on Sunday after the fast food giant pulled out of the country.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Ownership changed hands after all restaurants were purchased by Russian businessman Alexander Govor, but the experience seems to have stayed mostly the same.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

The changes are mostly superficial, limited to signs, logos, and uniforms.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

All McDonald's logos were removed from buildings...

A worker dismantles the McDonald's Golden Arches while removing the logo signage from a drive-through restaurant of McDonald's in the town of Kingisepp in the Leningrad region, Russia June 8, 2022.REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

...and replaced with the new logo for Vkusno & tochka, or "Tasty and that's it."

The logo of the new restaurant chain in Russia that is taking over former McDonald's sites.Handout via REUTERS

The biggest changes are to signs and displays, which used to prominently say McDonald's and show the iconic golden arches.

People walk past a closed McDonald's restaurant in Moscow, August 20, 2014.REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva

When they were still officially McDonald's restaurants, they featured ordering kiosks beneath prominent McDonald's logos.

Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

Photos from the newly reopened location look nearly exactly the same, just with different logos on the signs.

The first renamed McDonald's has opened in Moscow.Getty Images

The kiosks even have the new logo on their screens, though they remain otherwise nearly the same.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

When the restaurant was McDonald's, it sold Big Macs, fries, McNuggets, and other McDonald's staples.

Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images

The new menu still has cheeseburgers, nuggets, and fries.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

The paper bags and cups used to come covered in McDonald's logos.

Rudi Blaha/AP

Now, food at the rebranded restaurant comes in different packaging, though it's still in similar colors.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Some logos weren't changed over yet, leaving workers to cover McDonald's logos on sauce packets with black pen.

Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

There's no Filet O'Fish on the menu, but the new restaurant does sell a fish burger that's similar.

The rebranded McDonald's opened its first flagship store in Moscow on Sunday.Reuters

"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's. We will definitely do something similar," new owner Alexander Govor said. "We will try to do something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's. We will definitely do something similar," new owner Alexander Govor said. "We will try to do something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."

The rebranded restaurants will no longer serve Coca-Cola because the company isn't operating in Russia.

Tian Bing/China News Service via Getty Images

Most of the menu is made with the same ingredients and equipment as when it was McDonald's.

Tian Bing/China News Service via Getty Images

98% of ingredients for menu items are sourced from Russia, CEO of Vkusno & tochka Oleg Paroev told Reuters.

Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/Xinhua via Getty Images

Worker uniforms have also changed.

Photo by Semen Vasileyev/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The new uniforms share the colors of the logo.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Many of the workers themselves are the same ones who used to serve Big Macs and Filet O'Fish.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Govor agreed to employ and continue paying the roughly 60,000 Russian McDonald's employees for two years.

Vkusno & tochka aim to open all 850 stores by the end of summer.Reuters

Vkusno & tochka plan to reopen 200 former McDonald's restaurants by the end of June, with all 850 running by the end of summer.

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

"Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambiance," Paroev said.

Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The first rebranded former McDonald's just opened in Russia — see how it compares to the real Golden Arches

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The first rebranded former McDonald's just opened in Russia &mdash; see how it compares to the real Golden Arches

The first rebranded McDonald's just opened in Moscow on Sunday after the fast food giant pulled out of the country.

Ownership changed hands after all restaurants were purchased by Russian businessman Alexander Govor, but the experience seems to have stayed mostly the same.

The changes are mostly superficial, limited to signs, logos, and uniforms.

All McDonald's logos were removed from buildings...

...and replaced with the new logo for Vkusno & tochka, or "Tasty and that's it."

The biggest changes are to signs and displays, which used to prominently say McDonald's and show the iconic golden arches.

When they were still officially McDonald's restaurants, they featured ordering kiosks beneath prominent McDonald's logos.

Photos from the newly reopened location look nearly exactly the same, just with different logos on the signs.

The kiosks even have the new logo on their screens, though they remain otherwise nearly the same.

When the restaurant was McDonald's, it sold Big Macs, fries, McNuggets, and other McDonald's staples.

The new menu still has cheeseburgers, nuggets, and fries.

The paper bags and cups used to come covered in McDonald's logos.

Now, food at the rebranded restaurant comes in different packaging, though it's still in similar colors.

Some logos weren't changed over yet, leaving workers to cover McDonald's logos on sauce packets with black pen.

There's no Filet O'Fish on the menu, but the new restaurant does sell a fish burger that's similar.

"The Big Mac is the story of McDonald's. We will definitely do something similar," new owner Alexander Govor said. "We will try to do something even better so that our visitors and guests like this dish."

The rebranded restaurants will no longer serve Coca-Cola because the company isn't operating in Russia.

Most of the menu is made with the same ingredients and equipment as when it was McDonald's.

98% of ingredients for menu items are sourced from Russia, CEO of Vkusno & tochka Oleg Paroev told Reuters.

Worker uniforms have also changed.

The new uniforms share the colors of the logo.

Many of the workers themselves are the same ones who used to serve Big Macs and Filet O'Fish.

Govor agreed to employ and continue paying the roughly 60,000 Russian McDonald's employees for two years.

Vkusno & tochka plan to reopen 200 former McDonald's restaurants by the end of June, with all 850 running by the end of summer.

"Our goal is that our guests do not notice a difference either in quality or ambiance," Paroev said.

The first rebranded former McDonald's just opened in Russia — see how it compares to the real Golden Arches