Return to the past: what the closure of McDonald's threatens the country with

Meanwhile, a huge queue at the first McDonald's that opened in Moscow on January 31, 1990 became one of the harbingers of the collapse of the USSR. Recall that at that time in the Soviet propaganda TV program “Vremya”, in the plot dedicated to this event, they joked: “It is unlikely that McDonald’s will compete with such a dangerous and insidious rival as our public catering.” Now we have to admit that there was some truth in this joke:

In the 1990s, it became good for opponents of the Yeltsin regime to criticize McDonald's, and along with other brands of the American grassroots consumer economy, as a symbol of unipolar globalization. And now the dream of the "patriots" has come true

Economist Dmitry Prokofiev enumerates the consequences that await the Russian economy in connection with this McDonald's decision:

“The story of the shutdown of McDonalds is important, not only because it generated more than 20% of all catering taxes in the Russian Federation ( 167 billion rubles - editor's note), but also from the point of view of the labor market. Salary at McDonalds" was an important element in terms of shaping the labor market for young people in large cities of the Russian Federation - paying a young employee "less than at McDonalds" looked absurd.

Salary at McDonalds was the very “real”, and not “fiscal” minimum wage, which supported the price of labor in the Russian Federation, at least for a certain social and demographic stratum.”

Popular blogger Alexander Gorbunov believes that the history of this brand in Russia symbolizes a change in the political trends of our country:

“Zeterossy can scoff as much as they like that hipsters are left without coffee, and students without burgers. Talk about an alternative. Not all are gone. Bye. But it's not that. It doesn't matter if you've been to a Mac or if you think Starbucks coffee is expensive. And "Cola" is harmful.

The appearance of the first Coca‑Cola machine in Moscow in perestroika 1988, the opening of McDonald's in the late Soviet impoverished 1990, Starbucks in the “pre-transit” obese 2007, like many other brands, are significant events in their own way, symbolizing the beginning of a new era.

With them, we have traveled the path from closed Russia - to open Russia - the free world, globalization, everything good and bad that is connected with it.... And back.

The presence/absence of the "Iron Curtain" is felt by people through such simple things. And only then on a serious note: through financial sanctions, oil embargoes, shortages, lack of freedom.”

Network analyst Maxim Slepov does not see a single reason for the joy of the "patriots" about this event:

The rest of the peppy jingoists today are excited by the Russian delight that McDonald's is closing (and they are also suspending Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola).

In principle, I do not understand the reasons for rejoicing, because:

1. Only Mac could provide an absolutely identical high quality product throughout the vast territory. Even with other large chains, like Burgerking, the quality can vary within the same Moscow, with understandable results for the body. In Mac, never in 30 years.

2. This is normal, good food for a quick bite. I understand that Mac has become synonymous with "harmful fast food" for many, but if you turn on your head and read at least the composition, you can come to a different conclusion. In any case, cheap dumplings with a protein-to-fat ratio of 1:2 or chebureks in rancid oil are definitely an order of magnitude worse than Big Mac (otherwise you can already hear the exclamations of "let's open our Russian dumplings!")

3. Mack is also a huge network of civilized and free toilets, as well as cheap conference rooms for all sorts of blue collars. In winter, a place where you can sit down and bask in a normal interior without chanson.

I read some: but now we will definitely open networks no worse. Don't open it, calm down! There will be shawarma and donuts, with much lower quality food. A great example is Crimea, where Mac was banned immediately after Spring 2014. There are no networks. There are separate establishments. As in the rest of Russia: it would seem, do what you want, the market is very grateful. And besides this strange chain of pancake shops, where you are addressed as "sir" - do you know a lot of Russian fast food chains in general? At any food court, Mac has 1st place, 2-3 are shared by Burgerking and KFC. That is, people stubbornly vote with their wallet and time for food like "burger", and not "cashi and porridge". 4-5 place, by the way, is shared by all sorts of Asian plovnye and Vietnamese eateries.

In general, I repeat, we are already de facto at war with the West, if even the most surviving businesses such as Mac or Cola are fleeing. Not because there is no Cola and there is a war, but because even if Cola runs, then there, in the Washington Regional Committee, they took the bit between their teeth mightily".