Vkusno i Tochka

McDonald’s left Russia in 2022 and sold its restaurants to Alexander Govor, who had been a McDonald’s licensee in Siberia. The chain reopened on 12 June 2022 under the name Vkusno i Tochka, roughly “Tasty, full stop”, in the same buildings, with much of the same staff and kitchen equipment.

The menu is the old McDonald’s menu wearing new names, and the first months were rough: supply problems meant no fries for a while and no replacement for the Big Mac. It settled down into a recognisable version of the original, which makes it a strange and fascinating case of a global fast-food brand being copied from the inside.

Around a thousand restaurants in Russia, most of them former McDonald’s.

• Black Star Burger (Russia, since 2016). The Moscow burger chain from rapper Timati’s Black Star label, famous for its black gloves. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Burger Heroes (Russia, since 2015). Moscow burger bars with Black Angus beef, cherry on the Black Mamba and burgers cooked to order. Also built on beef and cheese.
• McDonald's (United States, since 1940). Same golden arches, wildly different burgers in every country. Also built on beef, a special sauce, cheese and a double stack.
• Hungry Jack's (Australia, since 1971). Burger King by another name, because in Australia the name was already taken. Also built on beef, a special sauce, cheese and a double stack.