- Russia’s McDonald’s substitute, Vkusno & tochka, opened a 12 months in the past.
- The chain cannot promote iconic McDonald’s objects just like the Huge Mac and has created substitutes as an alternative.
- Its CEO advised Reuters that it has bought greater than 24 million “Huge Hits,” its Huge Mac dupe, since opening.
One 12 months after Russia’s McDonald’s substitute opened, its proprietor says it now serves two million clients a day. The nation has an estimated inhabitants of round 142 million.
Vkusno & tochka, which interprets as “Tasty and that is it,” took over nearly all of Russia’s McDonald’s eating places after the burger large pulled in a foreign country following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The primary areas with the brand new menu, emblem, and identify opened in June 2022.
Alexander Govor, the Russian businessman who purchased the previous McDonald’s websites, advised Reuters that the brand new firm was opening eating places barely sooner than deliberate and hoped to have greater than 900 by the tip of the 12 months.
The corporate beforehand mentioned it deliberate to reopen the entire 850 former McDonald’s websites by the tip of summer season 2022, and attain 1,000 shops throughout Russia inside the firm’s first 5 years.
Vkusno & tochka is unable to promote iconic McDonald’s menu objects such because the Huge Mac, Filet-O-Fish, and McFlurry, however that hasn’t stopped the corporate from considering up replacements, together with fish burgers, chocolate-topped ice cream, and the “Huge Hit,” a Huge Mac substitute that comes with two beef patties, lettuce, gherkins, cheese, and its personal particular sauce.
Many of the menu is made with the identical elements and gear as when it was McDonald’s.
Oleg Paroev, the chain’s CEO, advised Reuters that Vkusno & tochka had bought greater than 24 million Huge Hits because it first appeared on menus in late February.
Paroev beforehand mentioned that Vkusno & yochka bought 120,000 burgers on its opening day, which he mentioned was larger than another day in McDonald’s Russia’s historical past.
Tian Bing/China Information Service by way of Getty Pictures
However clients are divided on how good the brand new menu tastes, Reuters reported.
“For me the standard hasn’t dropped, I actually prefer it,” one buyer advised the outlet. “The style, the standard, I prefer it all.”
One other buyer, nonetheless, mentioned that Vkusno & tochka hadn’t efficiently changed McDonald’s. “The style has modified, the fries undoubtedly have at the least,” they mentioned.
When the Huge Hit was first launched, one buyer advised Reuters that it had “100%” received higher and the sauce was “tastier,” whereas one other mentioned the bun had “received worse” and fell aside when diners tried to tuck in.
Vkusno & tochka’s hurried opening final summer season gave the impression to be considerably haphazard with a sequence of operational issues. Some objects had been bought in plain white or brown packaging, workers served clients the previous McDonald’s sauce packets however scribbled the brand out with a pen, there have been shortages of fries, and Coca-Cola was pulled from the menu. Some diners additionally claimed that they had been served moldy burgers and out-of-date sauces.
A reporter who visited what was McDonald’s flagship Moscow restaurant final summer season for Insider mentioned that the fries “appeared a bit sadder, much less salty and crispy” than she was anticipating. “The brand new ‘faux’ Russian McDonald’s may look nearly the identical, however a lot of the style and enjoyable have disappeared – similar to Ronald McDonald himself,” she wrote.
Have you ever been to Vkusno & tochka? Ship this reporter your ideas on the eating places at gdean@insider.com.
