'Fake McDonald's': How Fast Food Reflects Post-Soviet Society
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
McDonald’s has long been an emblem of the West, the golden arches synonymous with convenience and consumerism. The monolithic company has dominated the fast-food market for decades, and its influence has spread across the globe, with restaurants in 118 countries and territories worldwide.
Yet, it no longer exists in Russia and Kazakhstan, instead replaced by near-identical versions. The reasons why are complicated; intrinsically linked to geopolitical conflicts and societal attitudes to war, consumerism, and language.
The first McDonald’s in Russia opened in 1990, a year before the dissolution of the USSR. It symbolised the growing capitalist influence in Russian society, an overt symptom of the enormous changes in political and economic public opinion. It operated for 32 years, until the 16th May 2022, when McDonald’s closed all of its Russian stores due to the ‘humanitarian crisis’ caused by the invasion of Ukraine.
McDonald’s is one of many Western brands (alongside Renault and Starbucks) that have pulled out of Russia, with a spokesperson saying it is not ‘consistent with McDonald’s values’. For a company which has had numerous lawsuits regarding human and animal rights, including the famous McLibel case, it is more an indicator of how bad the optics would be for the brand - Russia is officially off the market for Western businesses with a reputation to uphold.
Inside the former McDonald’s restaurants appeared ‘Vkysno i tochka’ (which translates to Tasty, and That’s It), a fast-food chain that is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. Yet, the deliberately Russified name, thanks to a growing reluctance to use English, signifies the ever-growing rift between Russia and the West, both leading up to, and since, the invasion. Spoken less and less in other post-Soviet countries, the Russian language has only been fuelled by state-enforced patriotism in Russia itself. Despite this, the menu is largely the same, showing the demand for Western fast food is still high.
In post-Soviet Kazakhstan, fast food chains can be seen everywhere in major cities such as Almaty and Astana. And it’s not just Kazakhstan - if mall culture is dying across the West, killed off by online shopping, it is alive and well in much of Asia. The top five biggest malls in the world are found in the continent, and with malls comes fast food, much of it well-known Western chains.
In Astana’s Keruen mall alone, there is a Burger King, a Hardees, a KFC, a Starbucks, and even a Costa Coffee. The only chain that is different is McDonald’s, after they pulled out of Kazakhstan in January 2023, naming ‘supply issues’ as the reason for this decision. Yet, the nature of the issue is embroiled with trade relations between Russia and Kazakhstan, and ultimately with the war.
In the past, beef for McDonald’s in Kazakhstan was imported from Russia, which is now impossible to use due to the company’s stance on the invasion. Locally sourced beef from Kazakhstan does not meet McDonald’s quality and safety requirements, meaning the company decided to leave the region altogether. The decision shows how much the Kazakh economy relies on Russia – be it through investments or through trade links.
Just as in Russia, a replacement opened with near-identical decor, menu, and branding. Its name is in Kazakh, signifying increasing interest in the Kazakh language as opposed to Russian.
Yet, McDonald’s decision to pull out of Russia (and thereby Kazakhstan) for ‘humanitarian’ reasons is not a precedent. It remains operating in other conflict zones throughout the world; indeed, McDonald’s branches in Israel gave free meals to IDF soldiers. This prompted a mass boycott of the brand, as they appear only to listen when revenue is affected; like most companies, profits take precedence over all else.