Originally Posted by TheSquealer

I believe one company owns all the franchises. Its a monster company that owns a few franchises and a huge number of restaurants. At least that's how it was for the first decade at least, I see no reason to surmise it's not the same now. It's not a case where random franchisee's own a restaurant or two. Russia doesn't work like that ;) Of there's money to be made, there's a dickhead with connections and a private army to monopolize it.

The ones they shut down such as the first McDonalds to open in Russia on Tverskaya and the most profitable EVER, were to make a political statement. Russia DOES work exactly like that. It's a fucking nation of restaurants with cats and dogs in the kitchen - and whatever McDonald's standards are, they are a million miles ahead of the average restaurant in Russia