The opening of the first McDonald’s cafeteria in Russia, on January 31, 1990, was a very symbolic milestone of the gradual arrival of capitalism in a communist Soviet Union that was still standing, but with the days numbered to end.
The terminal dissolution of the bloc, which was already a mixture of transition and decadence throughout the 1980s, would be made official on December 25, 1991, with the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev as president.
The opening of the first McDonald’s store in Russia, in Pushkin Square, two kilometers from the Kremlin in Moscow, was marked by a line of more than 400 meters televised around the world.
It was made up of Russians eager to try an American-style hamburger and milkshake for the first time and the “Bolshoi Mak”the name given to the Big Mac in Russia (“bolshoi”, in Russian, means “big”).
The opening also took place with a record: with 900 seats, the Moscow store was already the largest in the chain in the world, and to this day remains among the largest in the chain.
At 32 years and one month old, McDonald’s in Pushkin Square is one of the 847 eateries that the chain has today in Russia and which will close in the next few days.
McDonald’s announced on Tuesday (8) that it will temporarily suspend all its operations in the country, in reaction to Russian attacks on neighboring Ukraine, which began on February 24.
The announcement extends a list of other large multinationals that have also closed down their activities in Vladimir Putin’s country since the beginning of the invasion, in a kind of movement contrary to what happened in the 1990s, at the end of the Cold War, when many western brands put the standing in the socialist bloc for the first time.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe are causing unspeakable suffering to innocent people. We join the world in condemning aggression and violence and in praying for peace”, wrote the company’s president, Chris Kempczinski, in the statement announcing the suspension of operations.
The closure of all Russian McDonald’s stores is, until further notice, temporary, and will be subject to reassessment over the next few months, Kempczinski said.
The network also stated that it will continue to pay the salary of the 62,000 employees it had in Russia.as well as maintaining the social structures it has in the region, such as the Ronald McDonald support houses.
Coca-Cola and Starbucks were other Americans who announced their departure from Russia in the same week, amid growing pressure from movements in the United States that are demanding a stance from the country’s brands that are present in Russia and have not yet manifested. in relation to the conflict.
strategic business
The sales volume of McDonald’s cafeterias in Russia is not among the biggest in the chain – it currently represents 2% of the total. The 847 Russian restaurants also represent close to 2% of the 38,000 that the chain currently has in more than 100 countries..
The importance that the largest country in the world has for McDonald’s revenues, however, is much more significant: it approaches 9%. This is due to a particularity of the business in the country. There, 85% of the cafeterias are owned, while in other places most are franchised.
“Over the last few days, I have spoken and heard from many people within our system about our operations in Russia. This is an extremely challenging situation for a global brand like ours, and there are many things to consider,” CEO Kempczinski said in his statement.
“At the same time, our values mean that we cannot ignore the ongoing human suffering in Ukraine,” he added.
“We are used to standing in line”
The line of blocks in front of the McDonald’s in Pushkin Square, on the day of its opening in 1990, was already formed at 10 am, time when the establishment opened its doors for the first time. Very close by, the first Pizza Hut in the country was also scheduled to arrive.
The taste of the meat, the round hamburger buns and even the lettuce, then uncommon in Russia, caught the attention of new customers, according to reports at the time.
The “Bolshoi Mak” arrived in Soviet Russia with the company’s promise that it would be identical to the rest of the world, but at twice the price: it cost 2 rubles, or US$ 3.38 at the time, which was equivalent to 2h30 of work if considered the average Russian income.
In the United States, the famous double-decker hamburger cost $1.45 and took 20 minutes of work for the average American.
“Who cares how long we have to wait?” a worker waiting in line in Moscow on opening day told The Washington Post in a report at the time. The article was republished this week by the American newspaper on its website, due to the announcement of the closure of the brand in the country.
“We stand in lines for hours, sometimes for days. We are used to it”, continued the interviewee.
Source: CNN Brasil
I am Sophia william, author of World Stock Market. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and I have worked as a reporter for several news websites. I have a passion for writing and informing people about the latest news and events happening in the world. I strive to be accurate and unbiased in my reporting, and I hope to provide readers with valuable information that they can use to make informed decisions.
