McDonald’s new Russian rebranded version is being attacked by reports of unsatisfactory service, and inedible food just a few weeks after launching a rebranded version of McDonald's restaurants across Russia, Yahoo News reported.
"Opening day is important because it is the first-time consumers can really feel and touch and see the brand and what it stands for," said Peter Gabrielsson, professor of International Marketing at Finland's University of Vaasa, who believes it takes “decades” to build a brand. "It's important what the reaction will be and obviously people will be comparing it to McDonald's."
The franchise was recently sold to local restaurant licensee, Alexander Govor, according to Reuters. The new deal serves as one of the most high-profiles of its kind since Russia deployed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February of this year.
According to recent Russian media reports, the new version imitates McDonald’s signature Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McNuggets. Complaints of molded buns and expired cheese sauce were made just three weeks after the restaurant’s grand opening.
Since the rebranded version of the restaurant launched, prices have skyrocketed by more than 10%, and simultaneously, the restaurant announced a pratto shortage as it battles Russia potato harvest shortages.
“The Russian management, although they had worked at McDonald's for years, has made some gross errors, and the chain is facing a fiasco due to the quality of its management, Ukrainian restaurateurs believe,” a recent Yahoo report states.
The new launch attracted thousands of hungry consumers, filling up Pushkinskaya Square on a hot Moscow day, neighboring the area where the first Russian-based McDonald's location was established in the 1990s.
The idea of rebranding was confirmed and celebrated by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who visited the new chain, assuring consumers that everything was identical to the original franchise.