A 530,000-Won Burger Set Emerges... Citizens Rush to Openings Following Russia's McDonald's Withdrawal News

McDonald's Suspends Store Operations in Russia

Citizens flocked to buy hamburgers as McDonald's decided to suspend operations in Russia. Photo by Twitter screen capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As the American fast-food chain McDonald's decides to cease operations in Russia, Russians are flocking to visit McDonald's one last time.

Recently, various social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram and Twitter have been sharing images of Russians visiting McDonald's to buy hamburgers.

Previously, McDonald's continued its operations even after Russia invaded Ukraine and did not make any public statements, which at one point sparked a 'Boycott McDonald's' movement on SNS.

Subsequently, Chris Kempczinski, McDonald's CEO, sent a letter to employees and franchisees on the 8th (local time), announcing, "We have decided to temporarily close all restaurants in Russia and suspend all local operations." This came two weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Following this news, Russians reportedly flocked to nearby McDonald's stores. Hundreds of meters of lines formed in front of McDonald's stores even before opening, and especially at a McDonald's drive-thru in Moscow, heavy traffic congestion occurred on nearby roads due to the influx of vehicles.

Meanwhile, online, there have been cases of McDonald's hamburgers being sold at inflated prices. A hamburger set was sold for 50,000 rubles (about 530,000 KRW), a McDonald's cola for 1,500 rubles (about 16,150 KRW), and a cherry pie for 5,000 rubles (about 53,850 KRW).

Meanwhile, global corporations including McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Cola are suspending their businesses in Russia as part of a 'boycott' against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Luxury car companies such as Ferrari and Lamborghini have also declared that they will no longer sell cars in Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.