Russians Make A Beeline For McDonald’s After Fast Food Chain Announces Closure
A hearty McDonald’s meal is often everyone’s guilty pleasure. So when the fast food chain announced that it would temporarily close all 847 outlets in Russia, there was a mad frenzy among Russians.
Across numerous Russian cities, especially Moscow, long queues were seen at McDonald’s restaurants.
The demand for McDonald’s was so great that customers started reselling their burgers online.
6 burgers were being sold for S$512.79 (45,000 rubles) in one listing.
Long queues seen at McDonald’s around Russia
On Tuesday (8 Mar), McDonald’s announced that they would temporarily pull out of Russia by closing its 847 restaurants there.
After the news broke, McDonald’s all over Russia were swamped with customers desperate to savour one last meal before the closure.
According to Daily Star, customers were undeterred by the cold and patiently lined the streets with queues.
This was the queue situation at Pushkin Square McDonald’s, Russia’s first McDonald’s restaurant.
Video footage of Moscow drive-thrus also showed hundreds of cars queueing in the snow outside McDonald’s.
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Russians resell McDonald’s online
And it seems that customers were getting more than enough to fill their stomachs.
One Reddit user shared a photo of his friend’s stash as they prepare for McDonald’s closure.
Russian scalpers also started reselling McDonald’s meals online.
Listings of the burgers ranged from S$455.81 (40,000 rubles) to S$569 (50,000 rubles).
According to the listings, even just a cup of coke would cost up to S$15.95 (1,500 rubles).
One of the listings priced at S$512.79 (45,000 rubles) supposedly contained a cheeseburger, 2 packs of French fries with cheese sauce, 1 Caesar sauce, 2 McFlurry Cherry Pies, 2 Big Macs, Wild Berry Pie, a vanilla milkshake, and a strawberry milkshake.
The seller from Moscow added that the food items were still warm.
According to Russia’s McDonald’s website, this feast would typically cost S$12.03 (1,056 rubles).
McDonald’s CEO says unsure when stores can reopen
McDonald’s is one of the many large fast food brands to have pulled out of Russia following the country’s attacks on Ukraine.
Amongst others are Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo. They are joined by other large corporations like IKEA, Netflix, Apple, and Unilever, Kiplinger reported.
In an open letter to employees, McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempckinski said closing Russia’s stores temporarily is “the right thing to do”.
He shared that McDonald’s values mean they cannot ignore the “needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine”.
Kempckinski added that it’s impossible to know when they would reopen in Russia.
The first McDonald’s in Russia opened in Moscow’s Pushkin Square back in 1990.
According to TODAY, it was a momentous occasion as the golden arches became a symbol of flourishing American capitalism, an icon of the post-Soviet era.
Its closure now heralds the end of an era.
Russians feeling the pinch of sanctions
The departure of McDonald’s from Russia is of massive significance to Russians who love American fast food.
Many companies have imposed sanctions and pulled out of Russia since the country’s invasion of Ukraine—and citizens are certainly feeling the pinch.
Even as tensions grow, we hope talks between Russia and Ukraine will yield results and end the war soon.
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Featured image adapted from Reddit and NEXTA on Twitter.
