Across the street literally from our old McDonald’s is an even newer and I would say busier, Burger King. Two months ago, Sveta and I spied a sign that said hiring for Burger King. Then we found the building as we walked and then I said, “Burger King will open within months and not years like our McDonald’s did.”
(Our nearby McDonald’s took almost two years to open and that seems to be the norm for them in Russia. Never in a hurry…)
Then sure enough, less than two months later, Burger King opened its doors… (I opened restaurants in America (including many McDonald’s) for many years, it was my expertise, so I have an issue with the speed at which McDonald’s opens restaurants in Russia…)
I talked a few months back about how McDonald’s and Coke were under attack by not Russia, but Pepsi and Burger king. Pepsi will deal with Russians from the old days and Burger King is not held down by the stigma of a United States crony operation. Burger king accounts for more than half its revenues come from out of the USA. This and deciding to merge with a Canadian company and moving headquarters to Canada, allows Burger King to run as a real company should and Pepsi has been a long-term Russian/Soviet icon, way before Coke and that is good enough for Russians to support Pepsi…
Sveta and I went to Burger King last night and it was really good. Sveta had a chicken filet sandwich, Onion rings and hot tea, I had a double Whooper with cheese, onion rings and diet Pepsi…
Now here is the McDonald’s killer in Russia:
Fill your own drinks and I had a blast watching Russians who have never had the pleasure of refilling drinks, go at this machine…
Whole families were investigating the refill situation and I am here to tell you that Burger King is going to sink McDonald’s if McDonald’s does not change some ways here…
The food was great, it was hot, they have onion rings, and they allow unlimited refills on drinks…
Pepsi is destroying Coke now; With 33 ruble two liters compared to 65 ruble two liters, there is no choice at what you pick and it shows in the store now. The shelves are full of almost out of date Coke and Pepsi flies off the shelves…
I have made it clear that it is war in many ways in Russia and Pepsi/Burger king are at the front line in offensive position. Coke and McDonald’s got caught off guard and I guess we will see who comes out ahead in the end…
Just remember, McDonald’s is struggling with huge sanitation issues in both China and Russia, plus Coke has been losing shares product sales against Pepsi for years now. Coke has given up trying to make Russian products such as Kvass and real juices. Now Coke a USA crony is suffering…
As Sveta says, “That is just right!”
Posted by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…
PS: I will take Burger King and Pepsi any day over McDonald’s and Coke…