Copycat Restaurant Pops Up In Russia After McDonald’s Departure

With the exit of McDonald’s (MCD) more than 800 restaurants from Russia, a fast-food chain called Uncle Vanya is looking to take up residency in the locations and has filed for a trademark that looks oddly similar to the iconic Golden Arches logo.

The Russian chain has filed for the trademark with the Russian government, using a logo that had the likeness of McDonald’s as it looks to gobble up business that the burger chain is leaving behind as it leaves the country amid boycotts over the war in Ukraine.

According to Business Insider, Uncle Vanya is registered with a Moscow business address and will offer “snack bar” and "cooking and home delivery” services as indicated by its trademark filing.

McDonald’s said early last week that it was pulling out of Russia after being criticized for continuing to operate in the country following the invasion of Ukraine. The company said the decision will cost it $50 million a month as 9% of its revenue comes from the 850 company-owned restaurants in Russia.

Uncle Vanya applied for the trademark with the Russian government on March 12, according to a Twitter post by an intellectual property attorney.

In the trademark filing, Russia’s Uncle Vanya uses the Cyrillic letter “B,” which resembles McDonald’s Golden Arches “M” logo. The Russian chain has also adopted McDonald’s use of red and yellow coloring in its branding.

Uncle Vanya filed for the trademark following Russia's removal of all patent protections for companies based in countries that officials indicated were hostile to the country, the New York Post reported.

According to Russian state media, as reported by the New York Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that assets from companies that have left the country will be seized by the Kremlin and transferred to those enterprises that want to work.

The Washington Post reported that Vyacheslav Volodin, a top official in Russia’s State Duma, said McDonald’s may be a likely target of these takeovers.

“They announced they are closing. Well, OK, close. But tomorrow in those locations we should have not McDonald’s, but Uncle Vanya’s. Jobs must be preserved and prices reduced,” he told the news outlet.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement about the closures in Russia that the company is monitoring the situation.

“At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia,” he said.

McDonald’s is continuing to pay the 62,000 employees who are impacted by the chain’s decision to pull out of Russia.

As of Friday premarket hours, shares of McDonald's were trading at $236.05, down $1.42, or 60 cents.