Founder of "Teremok" Mikhail Goncharov: "No one will take the place of McDonald's in Russia"

The owner of "Teremok" Mikhail Goncharov explained why the idea is utopian.

Mikhail Goncharov, founder and manager of the Teremok catering network:

“I’m writing harshly, but honestly. Over the past week, Teremok and my name have been mentioned many times in the media and social networks in connection with the departure of McDonald’s from Russia. Someone even wrote that supposedly my dream came true.

Of course, I never had such a dream. I only said that competition should be fair. When for years McDonald's received preferences over Russian companies, being already a powerful company and a world leader, I, of course, did not like it, and I spoke about it openly. People who could not understand such a primitive idea decided that I was fighting McDonald's and wanted it to go away or even close. For those who do not know about these preferences for the Mac, and believe that I am lying, I will not prove anything, not everything can be said even now.

The place of McDonald's in Russia, of course, will not be taken by anyone, since no one in Russia has a similar business system in terms of complexity and system. It won't take even for the simple reason that the average bill and the price of dishes in Mac have always been extremely low. But here it is important to clarify two things:

1. McDonald's was originally designed technologically as a business to work at extremely low prices, it is a kind of discounter. You don't expect the prices for products in Azbuka Vkusa to be the same as in Magnit, do you? Note that McDonald's is precisely designed and precisely technologically. This is not a situation of smart and not greedy leaders, as the “experts” try to present.

2. Teremok and other representatives of Russian business were not created as competitors to McDonald's, simply because we don't know how to do it the way they do. Neither technologically nor in terms of management and marketing. You can scold us for this, but then let's scold our scientists for the fact that they are not Nobel Prize winners, and our engineers, for which they did not create an iPhone in Russia and for many other things. Especially impressionable, so as not to suffer from our backwardness, I suggest that you immediately beat your head against the wall.

Only the ignorant believe that all this can be done like this and created in 2-3 months or 2-3 years. And even more ignoramuses believe that if you DO NOT BE GREED and do not steal, then the prices in Teremka will be low and iPhones will appear in the country.

I will disappoint you - all this comes from decades of hard work of hundreds of thousands of managers, marketers and engineers, and even with the help of government incentives (!) Measures. So far, we do not have these measures at all. On the contrary, the existing measures and modes of operation stimulate the degradation and decay of any large business.

For all 32 years in business, I have not seen A SINGLE attempt by our state to help and stimulate business development. This may have happened in other industries, but in 32 years I have not encountered such measures. Excuse me, I write as it is.

We are asked - will we take the place of McDonald's? The answer is simple - we have long been waiting for support measures, the abolition of VAT for companies with a turnover of more than 2 billion rubles, a reduction in the UST tax to 15-20% for companies with a turnover of more than 2 billion rubles, support in extending loans and obtaining investment money for development. After all, you don’t seriously think that you can take a loan at 25% per annum, invest billions of rubles in development, pay 20% VAT and 30% UST and be profitable? After all, it is a shame and a disgrace that when we come to the country's leading bank for the 23rd year of the company's operation, having opened 300+ restaurants and employing 4,500 employees, we cannot get a loan even at 20% per annum. What kind of development can we talk about?

***

McDonald's announced on March 8 that it was closing 850 restaurants in Russia indefinitely. About 62,000 people will continue to receive salaries for the time being. Later , McDonald's explained that since March 14, the company is temporarily suspending services at network enterprises. The decision was explained by problems with "the uninterrupted operation of the main areas, maintaining the key assortment in the enterprises of the network and high quality standards."

After the announcement of McDonald's about the suspension of work, the Russian authorities started talking about "import substitution" and called for substitution of Russian businessmen who fell under the sanctions. United Russia proposed to nationalize the property of outgoing foreign companies and introduce external management at enterprises. A bill entitled "On the external administration for managing the organization" is being prepared for submission to the State Duma.

According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Russian companies can replace up to 250 restaurants in a year. “Moreover, the food products themselves are supplied by 99% of Russian suppliers,” he added.

The press service of McDonald's said that volunteer support centers may open in some restaurants during the suspension of activities. The company intends to support employees and customers who will take part in volunteer programs - the accrued loyalty points can be used after the resumption of work of McDonald's in Russia.

Thus, the company announced the launch of the Ronald McDonald House charity foundation in Russia, which provides support to families with children with disabilities.