Photo: NY Post
Six months ago, McDonald’s temporarily shut down its locations in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. Now, the fast-food chain giant is starting to reopen in parts of the country.
“We have decided to institute a phased plan to reopen some restaurants in Kyiv and western Ukraine,” the corporate senior vice president of international operated markets, Paul Pomroy, said in a note uploaded to the company’s website on Thursday.
McDonald’s has nearly 110 locations in Ukraine. Despite the closure, the giant has compensated its workers in the country.
“Over the next few months, we will begin working with suppliers to get products to restaurants, making the physical properties ready to serve customers, bringing restaurant teams and employees back on site, and implementing enhanced procedures and protocols to support the safety of our people and customers,” Pomroy stated.
The measure was taken after discussions with Ukrainian officials, security experts and suppliers, Pamroy said.
McDonald’s is one of several companies that have stopped operating in Ukraine due to the violent conflict. In the note, Pomroy emphasized that other firms have resumed their activities in Kyiv and in the west of Ukraine.
Read also: McDonald’s Russia Reopens as Vkusno & tochka
McDonald’s Exit Russia, No Intention of Reopen
The Ukraine-Russia conflict has completely pushed McDonald’s to shut down its restaurants in Russia. The giant publicly revealed it was suspending Russian operations in March. Ultimately in May, the company announced its sale of the Russia locations.
It said at the time that the “humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, and the precipitating unpredictable operating environment, have led McDonald’s to conclude that continued ownership of the business in Russia is no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald’s values.”
The giant has said it has no plans to rejoin the market.
McDonald’s sold hundreds of its Russian restaurants to a local franchise operator, who has begun to reopen them with a new brand – “Vkusno & Tochka,” translated in English as “tasty and that’s it.”
The giant’s withdrawal from Russia is the end of an era. It began its venture in Moscow in 1990, opening its first-ever restaurant.
Read also: Golden Arches Replaced by Hamburger and Fries Following McDonald’s Russian Withdrawal
