Fast food chain McDonald’s has left Russia after Putin’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine reacts. The West’s response included heavy economic sanctions, and in May McDonald’s sold its restaurants across Russia to a local licensee.
The new chain called Vkusno & Tochka, or “Yummy and that’s it,” reopened its eateries on June 12 after much excitement in Russia.
Last week, however, customers began posting photos of the chain’s menus with missing fries and a message that chips and hashbrowns would be off the menu for many of the new restaurants until the fall.
Since then, photos have also surfaced online of moldy hamburger buns, again showing the logistical difficulties of sourcing supplies in Russia.
Supply chain disruptions, including a potato import problem, have severely impacted the company, which blames a poor harvest in Russia.
A statement from Vkusno & Tochka said it was no longer possible to buy local ingredients and said it was “impossible to import from markets that could be a temporary supply of potatoes”.
It added: “Potatoes will be fully back on the chain’s menu at the start of the next harvest year, fall 2022.”
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Oleg Paroev, the general manager of Vkusno & Tochka, said a “significant percentage” of the ingredients came from abroad.
Paroev added: “All the largest French fries producers in the world refuse to supply their products to Russia.”
The comment encouraged Business Ukraine Magazine to tweet, “No chips for war criminals.”