MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Vkusno I Tochka, formerly McDonalds in Russia, plans to switch to Russian software soon, the fast-food chain’s General Director Oleg Paroev told reporters on Monday.
"In the very near future we plan to switch to Russian software. We held a complex tender and chose a service provider. A Russian company will develop a completely new cash system for us," he said.
Paroev told TASS that before that Vkusno I Tochka used software that was developed by McDonald's for its franchisees.
According to him, Vkusno I Tochka also plans to extend its menu with items that do not replicate the McDonald's menu in any way and will be typical for the Russian market. "100% we will have it, of course," Paroev said, answering a question about whether unique positions will appear on the fast-food chain’s menu. "We have a strategy for launching seasonal products, and within this strategy, we will launch new items that will not be copies of what McDonalds does in many markets. In addition, we are considering launching specific products that will be relevant only for the Russian market," he said.
Paroev added that the fast food chain is also considering franchising and entering the markets of the CIS countries, as well as other foreign states where McDonald's is not present. "As for the countries where McDonald's is not present, we are happy to consider them. Speaking about the CIS countries, these are Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan," Paroev said.
Responding to a question from TASS about which non-CIS countries are being considered, Paroev said, "As for the countries where McDonald's is not present, we can’t say that we are now considering any specific ones." However, he noted that one such large non-CIS country is Iran.
McDonald's shut down all its restaurants in Russia on March 14. On May 16, the global fast food giant, whose share in this market reached 7%, announced its withdrawal from Russia and, through the mediation of the Industry and Trade Ministry, sold the business to Alexander Govor. The chain operates under the brand Vkusno I Tochka (which translates to Tasty and That’s It) and is currently represented in 63 Russian regions. The company has resumed the operation of its restaurants nationwide. At present, more than 840 venues out of 850 are open.