McDonald’s has announced some sad news for Russian customers seeking a Happy Meal. The fast-food giant says it will cease operating in the country after 30 years and plans to sell all 850 restaurants bearing the Golden Arches. The burger chain says it took a look at the humanitarian crisis Russia has caused in Ukraine —and they aren’t lovin’ it.
In March, Mickey D’s made the difficult decision to stop servicing hungry patrons at all its locations in Russia. The fast-food giant followed scores of Western companies who paused operations in the country as a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine.
Now, the burger chain says it doesn’t plan on returning to the country and will sell its Russian business.
“This is a complicated issue that’s without precedent and with profound consequences,” said McDonald’s chief executive Chris Kempczinski in a message to staff and suppliers, adding: “Some might argue that providing access to food and continuing to employ tens of thousands of ordinary citizens, is surely the right thing to do”
“But it is impossible to ignore the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. And it is impossible to imagine the Golden Arches representing the same hope and promise that led us to enter the Russian market 32 years ago,” he continued.
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Once the sale is finalized, the company will begin the processes of “de-Arching” the restaurants, meaning the locations will no longer be allowed to use the McDonald’s name, logo, or menu.
Despite closing its Russian restaurants in March, the company has continued to pay all 62,000 employees affected by the decision, and the company has promised it will continue to do so until any sale is completed. The chain said its priorities for its employees included “future employment with any potential buyer.”
There was a sense of excitement when the first Mcdonald’s opened in Moscow’s Pushkin Square over three decades ago, with people waiting for hours just to get a taste of American burgers and fries.
By the end of that first day, the store had set a new opening-day record, and more than 27,000 people applied to work at the fast-food chain. Only 600 were hired.
Source: BBC, DailyMail
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