Several McDonald's outlets still open in Russia, videos, reports claim

The first McDonald's in Russia opened on January 31, 1990.

McDonald’s still has operational outlets in Russia, several news reports and locals claim, after the US fast food giant announced earlier this month that they are shutting shop in the country temporarily as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine raged.

McDonald's had declared on March 9 that it would temporarily close its 847 restaurants in Russia, but didn’t say when it would down shutters. It was however widely assumed that it would happen within the week.

But even after over two weeks, several videos and reports have surfaced that show McDonald’s outlets operating normally in Russia.

Residents in Moscow, St Petersburg, Volgograd, Novosibirsk and Ufa were seen queuing for burgers outside McDonald’s outlets, Daily Mail reported.

“This McDonald's in St Petersburg is still open, despite the company ceasing its operations in Russia. The staff told me that, as they are a franchise, they are still open, and will continue to operate,” tweeted another journalist working in Russia with a photo of an open store.

Another video, shared by a possible local, shows a McDonald’s outlet serving people in Domodedovo airport in Moscow.

McDonald's pic.twitter.com/f31wgU9hmV

— (@antiputler_news) March 23, 2022

Burger King isn’t the only fast-food chain in Russia trying to shut down but facing resistance from its local franchises. The McDonald’s at Moscow’s Leningradsky train station remains open, defying the corporate head office. https://t.co/fy27yT1SzY pic.twitter.com/Wb4D5api2x

— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 18, 2022

An employee at each location said the outlet was serving customers because it was a franchise operation, CBC News reported.

Several news reports claim that McDonald’s officials have not responded to their questions on why Russian outlets are still open.

Also read: As McDonald's takes a break from Russia, a look at the day when Soviet Union got its first 'Big Mak'

McDonald’s had joined several highly recognizable big Western companies like Starbucks, Pepsi, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Burger King to quit Russia after President Vladimir Putin declared war on its neighbour. The restaurant chain said they would be paying the salaries of all 62,000 employees in Russia even after the outlets shut.

McDonald's was one of the corporate pioneers whose work with the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet Russian state decades ago were seen as improving international relations.

On January 31, 1990, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Russia that became a symbol of the fall of the Soviet Union and marked the beginning of a western wave in the country. People queued in thousands to get their hands on an American burger on its mammoth opening day at the Pushkin Square outlet, that was the largest McDonald’s outlet in the world at the time.

Russians were severely disheartened when McDonald’s pulled out this month with many hoarding burgers and even selling them at a huge mark-up.