Russia's rebranded McDonald's unveils a new logo, but keeps its name a secret
Source: NPR
What could possibly replace McDonald's iconic Golden Arches? In the case of its Russian replacement, the answer appears to be orange backslashes. Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted McDonald's to withdraw from the country after more than 30 years, a process that entailed pausing operations, looking for a buyer and "de-arching" its restaurants.
Last month, it announced that the existing licensee Alexander Govor would acquire its 850 Russian locations and operate them under a new brand — as well as retain and pay its 62,000 Russian employees for at least two years. The rebranded chain is set to open its first 15 locations in the Moscow region on Sunday, followed by another 200 across the country later this month. And while its new name is still under wraps, it has revealed its colorful new logo. Sistema PBO, which manages the chain, confirmed the design to the state outlet TASS on Thursday.
It depicts a small red circle and two orange lines (aka a burger and pair of fries) against a green background, which the spokesperson said represents the quality of the chain's products and service. Altogether, the three shapes somewhat resemble an 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 the Warner Brothers logo from 1972. Others compared it to a drowning stick figure, cricket bats and the flag of Bangladesh.
The spokesperson added that the name of the new chain has not yet been approved. Citing the state newspaper Izvestia, the BBC reports that the company has submitted eight potential names to the Russian government agency in charge of intellectual property. They reportedly include "Tot Samyi," which translates to "The Same One," and "Svobodnaya Kassa," meaning "available cash register."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/10/1104194213/russian-mcdonalds-rebrand-logo
From the article -
Link to tweet
@tassagency_en
Russia state-affiliated media
The fast-food service, which will replace McDonald’s in Russia, has selected a new logo, a spokesperson with Sistema PBO said:
http://go.tass.ru/jBgdX
© Sistema PBO Press Service/Izvestia
Image
9:45 AM · Jun 9, 2022
LOL
= new reply since forum marked as read
Japan's MOS Burger puts all its pizazz into the lettering. When they even bother to use the lettering. (MOS reportedly stands for "Mountain-Ocean-Sun", BTW.) If Russia really wanted to stir up shit, they'll call it MOScow Burger.
"hamburgers" into "fries and ketchup". 
(they look like almost-steak fries)
Some people are saying......
KY...........
This week are featuring McPolonium double with cheese and frosty Novichok shake for small amount of ruble.
McPutin's: We are loving it...you not so much.
but I would not rule out Russia buying some Mickey D's products funneled through China to continue the same "taste" until they create their own product.
Funny but as I type this, a news story about Russia doing this relaunch on "Russia Day" (which is tomorrow) at their original flagship location, was just playing on the radio.
By Mary Ilyushina
June 12, 2022 at 12:55 p.m. EDT
People visit a former McDonald's restaurant during its reopening under the new brand Vkusno i Tochka, in Moscow on June 12. (Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
There are no arches, golden or otherwise, in the ersatz McDonald’s that opened Sunday in Moscow. The familiar red and yellow colors are nowhere to be found. Missing is the trademarked “M,” and with good reason: McDonald’s in Moscow is no longer McDonald’s. It’s “Vkusno i Tochka,” which translates as “Tasty and that’s it.” That’s a play on the old slogan of McDonald’s in Russia, which was “fun and tasty,” a hint, perhaps, “that it won’t be fun anymore,” as blogger Pavel Komarovsky suggested in a tweet. Behold what some have called the “sanctions edition” of the American fast-food chain.The franchise is under new Russian ownership, a reemergence that highlights both the country’s economic agility and its growing isolation in the face of a barrage of sanctions.
(snip)
The company's complete exit would have made a dent even in a well-off megapolis such as Moscow, as McDonald's revenue accounted for over 50% of all fast-food business in the city. Instead, McDonald’s sold its business to Govor with a significant discount compared to its market value, according to his interview with the Russian business daily Vedomosti. “Frankly, we were worried about the fate of the enterprise, employees, and suppliers; we are talking tens of thousands of people,” Moscow's mayor Sergey Sobyanin said at the opening ceremony, which coincided with Russia Day, a holiday celebrating the country's independence. “We have been helping the chain reconfigure its work as soon as possible and I'm glad it worked out.”
(snip)
“It tasted the same,” said a customer at “Tasty and that’s it,” identified on local state TV only as Lyudmila. “Nothing has changed.” The new fast-food joint will likely be able to keep the original Moscow McDonald’s flavor, as most of the products have been locally sourced in Russia for years. But the U.S. company put vast restrictions on the new owner to distance itself from the successor as much as possible. Govor said the chain logo now depicts a burger and two individual fries in green and orange tones that some commentators compared to the Marriott hotel chain. Some Russian internet users felt the franchise’s new name reflected the level of authoritarianism in modern Russia. “Any mention of a Big Mac will result in a Big Fine,” mocked one of Russia’s satirical news websites. The updated menu is much smaller and does indeed lack staple items such as Big Macs and the McFlurry because of clear links to the Mcdonald’s brand.
(snip)
The packaging has also been stripped of the golden arches and left mainly blank white, perhaps a result of a hasty rebranding done in just 22 days. Some food and drink manufacturers in Russia have also struggled with securing enough packaging after giants like Tetra Pak exited the market.
(snip)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/12/mcdonalds-moscow-reopen/
I was right about those 2 "slashes" being french fries!
National Labor Day Event. The very, very extreme Social Democrats were parading outside McDonald's protesting American capitalism!. The crowd was fighting to get inside to order Big Macs. HILARIOUS!
