Russian Fast-Food Brand Uncle Vanya’s Looks To Replace McDonald’s
Recently, news of McDonald’s closing down all its Russian branches sent many residents of the country into a frenzy.
Russians Queue For McDonald’s As Outlets Close, Scalpers Resell Burgers For Up To S$500
In response, Russia has suggested launching its own fast-food chain, named “Uncle Vanya”, to fill this void.
However, Uncle Vanya’s proposed logo has garnered much attention for how similar it is to McDonald’s.
Mcdonald’s closes all Russian branches
According to New York Post, McDonald’s will be temporarily closing down all their stores in Russia following sanctions on the country amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
In response, Russia suggested opening its own fast-food chain to replace the popular American brand.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, told lawmakers:
Tomorrow there won’t be McDonald’s, but Uncle Vanya’s.
Proposed logo is nearly identical to McDonald’s
On Thursday (17 Mar), the executive director of Netherlands-based journalism group Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, tweeted a proposed logo for Uncle Vanya’s.
At first glance, the similarities between the proposed logo and McDonald’s are hard to ignore.
Featuring an identical colour scheme and yellow arches seemingly flipped on its side, one can’t help but notice that it looks like a partially turned McDonald’s logo with an extra yellow stroke to mask the duplication.
In case you think it’s a meaningless copying case, the extra stroke that turns the “M” into a “B” in Russian translates to “V” in English. And “Vanya” in “Uncle Vanya” does start with that letter.
Such moves are apparently becoming possible due to the easing of trademark protection in the country, noted Russian news agency TACC.
Once the new rulings are in full swing, local businesses can steal patents without facing any legal repercussions. McDonald’s representatives have apparently not commented thus far.
Hope Uncle Vanya’s food can match up to McDonald’s
While the temporary closure of McDonald’s chains has not robbed Russians of food per se, it has denied them the chance of indulging in the world-famous fast food delicacy.
Hopefully, Uncle Vanya will at least get close to the original so Russians can satisfy their McDonald’s cravings.
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Featured image adapted from Christo Grozev on Twitter and McDonald’s on Facebook.
