Replacing McDonald’s in Russia reveals its new logo ahead of reopening: NPR

People walk past a window of a McDonald’s restaurant where the Kremlin towers are reflected in Moscow on May 26, 2022.

Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

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Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

People walk past a window of a McDonald’s restaurant where the Kremlin towers are reflected in Moscow on May 26, 2022.

Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

What could replace the famous golden arches at McDonald’s? If replaced by Russian, the answer seems to be orange backslashes.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted McDonald’s to withdraw from the country after more than 30 years, a process that necessitated a pause in operations and the search for a buyer and “Unbranch” its restaurants.

Last month , announced That the current licensee Alexander Goffor will acquire and operate 850 Russian sites under a new brand – as well keep and pay Its 62,000 employees are Russians for at least two years.

The renamed chain is set to open its first 15 locations in the Moscow region on Sunday, to be followed by another 200 across the country later this month. And while her new name is still unknown, she has revealed her new colorful logo. Sistema PBO, which runs the chain, has confirmed the design for port state tas Thursday.

It depicts a small red circle and two orange lines (also known as a burger and a pair of fries) on a green background, which the spokesperson said represents the quality of the chain’s products and services. Altogether, the three figures are somewhat similar to the abstract letter “M.”

Twitter users have noted its similarity to the logos of other popular brands, including the Japanese chain Mos Burger, Marriott hotels, and Warner Bros. logo from 1972. Others compare it to A drowning stick figureThe cricket bats and the flag of Bangladesh.

The spokesman added that the name of the new series has not yet been approved. Quoting the state newspaper Izvestia, BBC reports The company has submitted eight potential names to the Russian government agency responsible for intellectual property. It reportedly included “sami berries,” which translates to “same person,” and “svobodnaya kasa,” which means “disposable cash register.”

Of course, the classic menu items should be renamed as well. Fillet-o-fish will be called a “fish burger” and the burger will be known as “Grand” rather than “Royal,” according to Moscow Times.

The McDonald’s app changed its name to “My Burger” for Russian users on Friday, but the chain’s press team said the change is only temporary. According to Reuters. The app’s homepage reportedly featured a slogan that read: “Some things change, but stable business is here to stay.”

Kristi Ironside, an economic historian of Russia at McGill University, He told NPR’s All things considered The exit of the Golden Arches is in many ways as symbolic as their arrival in 1990.

International newspapers covered the opening of Russia’s first McDonald’s as an example of the Soviet Union’s embrace of capitalist principles, she explained, and images of people lining up to eat at the site of Pushkin Square have come to represent that transitional moment and thaw in the Cold War.

McDonald’s departure marks a new period of isolation for Russia, with thousands of Western companies restricting or ending their operations in the country as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. Ironside acknowledged that while its withdrawal could leave thousands of workers in the food service and agriculture sector without jobs, some people in Russia see a positive side.

“For the more nationalist types, it’s seen as, you know, probably a positive symbol of its decline because there were people even in the ’90s who weren’t very happy with the fact that they spread so quickly, that they were, again, kind of proving this capitalist business model.” .

The series’ reopening was timed with Russia Day, a national holiday commemorating the adoption in 1990 of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the RSFSR. Sunday marks the 108th day since Russia began its massive invasion of Ukraine.