The redesigned McDonald’s in Russia has unveiled a new logo but is keeping its identity a mystery.

What could possible replace the famous Golden Arches of McDonald’s? The answer appears to be orange backslashes in the case of its Russian equivalent.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, McDonald’s in Russia decided to leave the country after more than 30 years, stopping operations while searching for a buyer and “de-arching” its outlets.
It stated last month that current licensee Alexander Govor will purchase its 850 Russian outlets and run them under a new name for at least two years, as well as maintain and pay its 62,000 Russian employees.

On Sunday, the relaunched company will open its first 15 outlets in the Moscow region, followed by another 200 later this month across the nation. While the company’s new name is still a secret, it has unveiled its bright new logo. The chain’s manager, Sistema PBO, confirmed the design to the state news agency TASS on Thursday.

It has a small red circle and two orange lines (representing a burger and fries) on a green backdrop, which the spokesman claims indicates the chain’s food and service quality. The three forms collectively resemble an abstract letter “M.”

Its resemblance to the logos of other well-known firms has been highlighted on Twitter, including the Japanese company Mos Burger, Marriott hotels, and the Warner Brothers logo from 1972. Others likened it to a suffocating stick figure, cricket bats, and the Bangladesh flag.
The new chain’s name has yet to be authorised, according to the spokeswoman. According to the BBC, the business has submitted eight prospective names to the Russian government’s intellectual property office, citing the state daily Izvestia. “Tot Samyi,” which means “The Same One,” and “Svobodnaya Kassa,” which means “accessible cash register,” are among them, according to reports.

Classic menu items will, of course, need to be renamed as well. According to the Moscow Times, the Filet-O-Fish will be marketed as a “Fish Burger,” and burgers will be referred to as “Grand” rather than “Royal.”

According to Reuters, the McDonald’s app for Russian customers was renamed “My Burger” on Friday, although the chain’s press staff stated the change was only temporary. The tagline on the app’s front page, according to reports, was “Some things are changing, but stable work is here to stay.”

According to Kristy Ironside, an economic historian of Russia at McGill University, the Golden Arches’ departure is in many ways as momentous as their debut in 1990.

She explained that the opening of Russia’s first McDonald’s in Russia was covered in international newspapers as an example of the Soviet Union adopting capitalist principles, and images of people lining up to eat at the Pushkin Square location have come to symbolise that moment of transition and Cold War thawing.

As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of Western corporations have limited or stopped doing business in the nation. While Ironside recognised that the pullout might result in the layoff of thousands of food service and farm employees, some Russians saw a silver lining.

“For the more patriotic types, it’s viewed as a positive indication that it’s going down,” she continued, “because there were individuals even in the ’90s who weren’t thrilled with the fact that they expanded so fast, that they were, again, sort of establishing this capitalist business model.”

The chain reopened on Russia Day, a national holiday honouring the proclamation of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic’s Declaration of State Sovereignty in 1990. It will be 108 days on Sunday since Russia began its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine.