McDonald's to open 40 more restaurants in Russia this year

[Sennaya]

There will soon be no place to hide from a Big Mac.  And a "Big and Tasty" in Russia is served larger and cheaper than in the USA.

McDonald's will spend $120M in 2009 in Russia to open 40 more restaurants. They also opened 40 in 2008. No recession in the burger business!  Cities to have their first McDonalds  include Penza and Astrakhan.

McDonald's leading location on Pushkin Square, Moscow, open since 1991, claims to have the largest business in 2008 of any McDonalds anywhere!  80% of the McDonald's food served in Russia is purchased and prepared locally, only 20% is imported.

[Sennaya]

No stopping McDonalds! Their Big and Tasty burger is better in Russia than in USA. It IS bigger and lots of sauce.

[Sennaya]

“Russia is our top market for capital expenditures,” the McDonald's company said in its results for the first half of 2010 as the country came in for special praise.

The fast food market has proved resistant to the crisis, and while the chips have been down for most companies, Russia saw 33 more golden arches in 2009 – and can expect another 40 this year.

“Even before the crisis we were trying to make our decisions with a longer-term view,” said Alexi Semyonov, the chain’s vice-president in Russia and the CIS. “We never tried to maximize our profit with short-term decisions, and that’s why we came through the crisis in good shape.”

McDonald’s has succeeded in making the experience more relevant to it its customer base in Russia. Last year’s beef “a la Russe” got the customers in with traditional Russian rye bread, and it is set for a comeback this autumn.

The company is now looking at adapting local pirozhki – savory pies – to the menu to further tailor it to local taste buds.