Restaurants formerly licensed by McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) in Russia re-opened on Sunday under entirely different branding, filling the void left by the permanent departure of the American fast-food chain. Many Russians, however, found that the new restaurants still seemed quite familiar.
Vkusno 'i Tochka, which translates literally to "tasty and that's it" (though an alternative translation more consistent with English slang might be closer to "tasty, period"), is the brainchild of Russian businessman Aleksandar Govor. Previously a McDonald's licensee operating 25 stores throughout Siberia, Govor negotiated a purchase agreement with the American fast food giant to acquire the entirety of McDonald's Russian portfolio. As part of the agreement, Govor retained existing employees, assumed existing liabilities, and agreed to avoid the usage of McDonald's intellectual property.
However, while "Tasty" might be avoiding usage of McDonald's intellectual property, the nascent Russian chain has mirrored the company's formula as closely as possible, down to retaining colors and theming reminiscent of the golden arches. Even Tasty's logo, which is ostensibly a pair of fries and a burger patty, somewhat resembles the eponymous M of the McDonald's logo. According to reporters at the Sunday opening, Tasty still used Mcdonald's branded sauces, though workers appeared to cross McDonald's branding out with markers.
While boasting a menu with many hallmarks of McDonald's and other fast food chains, such as burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, and soda, many staples of the former chain are missing. A substitute McFlurry is missing, for example, due to the difficulty of obtaining the machine necessary for making them. Additionally, drink brands such as Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) have since departed Russia, leaving notable soft drinks off Tasty's menus.
It's hard to deny that Tasty and That's It is a cut-and-dry bootleg of McDonald's, but do Russians seem to mind? According to Muscovites, that spoke to journalists at Tasty's grand opening, not really.
Facing drastically reduced consumer good variety, higher prices, and the potential for a sovereign default, Russians seem happy simply to have any burger chain back in operation. One visitor told the Wall Street Journal that he didn't "think it really matters that it's a new brand," adding that "food is food."