Bye, bye Big Mac: McDonald's knock-off restaurants open in Russia

The American fast-food giant has been renamed 'Vkusno and Tochka,' which translates to 'Tasty and that's it.'

The company, which has Oleg Paroev serving as director general, plans to open 200 branches by the end of June and all branches by the end of the summer.

It might look and smell like McDonald's, but now it's 'Vkusno and tochka'. The golden arches are gone, the Filet-O-Fish is simply a fish burger. The Big Mac has left Russia.

On Sunday, scores of people lined up outside what was formerly the chain's flagship restaurant in Pushkin Square, central Moscow. The outlet sported a new logo — a stylized burger with two fries — plus a slogan reading: 'The name changes, love stays.'

In a sign of the haste with which the new owners have had to rebrand in time for the launch, much of the packaging for fries and burgers was plain white, as were drink cups, while takeout bags were plain brown. The old McDonald's logo on packets of ketchup and other sauces was covered over with makeshift black markings.

Source: CNN and CBC