Remember when McDonald’s pulled out of Russia? Well, something had to replace it as the premium burger emporium and a Russian-based fast food chain called Vkusno i tochka (вкусно и точка in Russian or ‘Tasty and That’s It’ in English) took on that mantle and they’ve already expanding into one of their old Soviet neighbours: Belarus:
“We are entering a new market,” said Alexander Govor, owner of the chain. “Now Vkusno I Tochka will operate not only in Russia, but also in Belarus.”
“This is just the beginning,” he added.
Vkusno I Tochka took over McDonald’s in Russia after the US fast food giant quit the country, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Since opening in June, its 800 restaurants have been blighted by supply chain issues, including shortages of fries and Coca-cola, in what was a bumpy start for the Russian rebrand.
Given the war, Russia’s general temperament over the last century or so, and a deluge of Cold War propaganda in half that time, the phrase “this is just the beginning” has an ominous tone to it (in my head, I read it in the voice of M. Bison from the 1994 film adaptation of Street Fighter)