Branded “Vkusno & tochka” (“Delicious and dot”), the restaurants began to reopen on June 12 and sold around 120,000 burgers that day.
The excitement was palpable in a large part of her Russian youth when chain restaurants McDonald’s reopened last month, under new management and a different brand, but the new owners are struggling with a shortage that is impoverishing menu: many branches fail to deliver fried potatoes to their customers.
The McDonald’s chain pulled out of Russia — following a sharp Western backlash over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which included a barrage of economic sanctions — and sold all its restaurants to a Russian company in May.
The new owners, however, are now facing potato supply problems, which they attribute to the poor harvest in Russia and the difficulty of imports due to disruptions in the supply chain.
Branded “Vkusno & tochka” (“Delicious and dot”), the restaurants began to reopen on June 12 and sold around 120,000 burgers that day.
But after last week customers started posting photos of fries-free menus online, Vkusno & tochka announced that it will leave fries off the menu at some of its newly opened restaurants until the fall. “Potatoes will return to the chain’s menu at the beginning of the next harvest, in the fall of 2022,” it said.
The deficiencies demonstrate the challenges facing Russian businesses as sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine and supply chain disruptions complicate the importation of goods.
Vkusno & tochka CEO Oleg Paroev told Reuters last month that “a significant percentage” of ingredients come from abroad.
Despite Vkusno & tochka’s problems, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reported last week that this year’s potato harvest will be larger than last year’s and that the market is fully supplied.
RES-EMP
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