Uncle Vanya might replace Mcdonald’s in Russia

After McDonald’s has shut down its operations in Russia companies like Uncle Vanya is looking to replace the burger business. Mcdonald’s move is part of a larger movement of businesses fleeing the country as a result of its aggression against Ukraine, which resulted in Western sanctions. On the other hand, Uncle Vanya appears to be getting ready to invade the Russian burger market with a logo that seems deceptively similar.

Uncle Vanya might replace Mcdonald’s restaurants in Russia

The Uncle Vanya yellow and red logo looks very, but very familiar to the iconic Golden Arches of McDonald’s.

It looks like the McDonald’s logo is tilted 90 degrees to the right. They make up part of the letter “B” in the Cyrillic alphabet, which corresponds to the “V” in “Vanya.”

Even if none of these new eateries have opened yet, it appears that the goal is to takeover abandoned McDonald’s restaurants. The name of the new restaurant comes from Anton Chekhov’s 19th-century play “Uncle Vanya.”

Trademark squatting has begun in Russia.

On March 12th, a trademark application was filed for the McDonald's logo with the words "Uncle Vanya."

The Russian State Duma had earlier suggested that Russia would replace all McDonald's with "Uncle Vanya's."

h/t @Oh_89 #McDonalds pic.twitter.com/JlUfkLK67J

— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) March 16, 2022

Last week, Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament, suggested that Russian firms should take over McDonald’s restaurants:

“They announced they are closing. Well, okay, close. But tomorrow in those locations we should have not McDonald’s, but Uncle Vanya’s. Jobs must be preserved and prices reduced.”

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has said the country may ignore patents held by nations that he considers hostile. Last week, Mr. Putin backed a proposal to nationalize foreign firms that have left Russia. The changes enable Uncle Vanya to take over the space formerly occupied by McDonald’s in Russia.

McDonald’s history in Russia

McDonald’s came to the Soviet Union in 1990 and it became a symbol of the West’s victory over communism at the end of the Cold War, ushering in an era of freedom. The Soviet Union collapsed shortly after. Since then, McDonald’s has grown in popularity among Russians and Ukrainians, both former members of the Soviet Union.

McDonald’s is the largest quick-service restaurant in the world, with over 36,000 locations in 119 countries. Last year, the company earned $23.2 billion in revenue. The company announced that it will continue to pay full salaries to employees in Ukraine, where there were 108 restaurants before the war, and Russia, where the business has nearly 850 restaurants and 62,000 workers.

“We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts,” said Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski in an email to employees published earlier this month. He said it is impossible to know when the company can reopen in Russia.