Former McDonald's Corp (NYSE:MCD) restaurants in Russia reopened Sunday under new ownership as the country adapts to international sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
The fast-food chain, called Vkusno & Tochka ('Tasty and that's it'), appears to be a copy of the American original, even if Big Macs are no longer on the menu.
McDonald's announced its withdrawal from the Russian market in May saying it would sell its 850 restaurants in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, joining an exodus of western businesses.
The Russian fast-food chain that bought out McDonald's opened 15 stores over the weekend and plans to eventually reopen all 850 stores.
All 62,000 former McDonald's employees will be retained.
McDonalds took a one-time charge of US$1.2bn to US$1.4bn to write off the investment.