Facelessness, periods and omission points. How the McDonald's reboot is going

Victoria Snezhina

The naming of the rebooted restaurant chain has already generated a lot of memes. The imperative tone of the final version of the title was especially appreciated.

“Eat and go away”, “Chew and *****”, further from the directors - an analogue of Netflix “Look and do not [show off]”, an analogue of the spotify “Is there a sound? Well, don’t [be indignant],” commentators continue the associative series.

The special correspondent of Novye Izvestia visited the newly opened restaurant on Tretyakovskaya in Moscow. We tell you how the world's most popular fast food chain looks now at the start of its nationalization in Russia.

Unprecedented holivar around inventing a new name for the network, oddly enough, had the opposite effect. The point on the Tretyakov Gallery today looks like one continuous, large and concentrated no-name.

There is nothing to catch the eye of the layman, accustomed to branding everything and everything, already in the center of Moscow ...

Street distribution, no matter how you look, even Morse code does not tap out anything. Cashiers and managers in nameless uniforms, nameless screens with menus and even the entrance group - a crystal white sheet. Without knowing that this is the same former McDonald's, you probably would not want to go inside.

LLC "System PBO" - a colorless stencil abbreviation on the main glass door. It looks more like a purely domestic obscure desk, not at all tempted by marketing, which cannot be said about the giant predecessor. Honestly, from the outside you can’t say that outsiders are allowed through this door. Here, for example, do you need to work at Sistema PBO LLC ?

In general, it is hard to believe that as a domestic startup this ship would have sailed. Thank you, so to speak, trodden paths.

However... you can't overcrowd inside the establishment. Two floors at the Tretyakov Gallery are packed to capacity on weekday evenings.

Cash desks and halls are working at full capacity. In the columns - no-name jazz without recitatives.

We place an order through the machine. The machine is also unmarked.

The machine warns: the cash tape is over. Ok, let's go to the next one.

We place an order on the second try. The receiver issues a noname check. Order number: 000. We are surprised to find that order number 000 is still displayed on the screen in the cooking queue.

Behind the desks inside the hall - no-name cashiers punch checks, no-name managers sort out flows, no-name distribution workers help customers find their order. No-name girls at the entrance answer questions from guests, no-name cleaners roam the halls with brushes and rags to wipe tables.

After waiting for the order, we pick up no-name packages with no-name cups, no-name sauces and no-name cardboard boxes.

- Modestly. It looks like they saved money on the packaging. No identification marks, - someone in the company of youth comments.

“We just haven’t had time to print it yet, everything will be soon,” a representative of the older generation intervenes in their conversation.

One compartment in the common room is empty. The cash registers are closed, the windows are empty. "Coconut cappuccino. Soon,” neon advertising seems to interpret this emptiness.

From all the screens, stickers from the tables and periodically with a voice from the speakers, young people are invited to take a summer part -time job: “Something is changing, stable work remains. The same job for the summer and not only. We can arrange".

- My verdict is not enough sauce. But the cutlet is amazing, as if it has become more natural. Other buns Logo -g*** of course, dot and two sticks. They could have been more creative, - they discuss in the company of teenagers.

From snippets of visitors' conversations, it becomes clear that many came not to eat at all and not to grind with friends. Many people wonder if there is life after. Young people and not so young people compare menus, logos, service, and in every second conversation they turn to politics. Someone in the tone of victorious reports, someone on the contrary. Even children reach the discussion of geopolitics.

- Nothing has changed at all. Only in the usual McDonald's there were two cutlets, and here there is one, - says a boy of about nine years old in appearance.

- Why should it change? his mother asks.

- It will be necessary to send pictures to the Americans, - the child answers ...

And adults right at the tables call other adults and willingly share their impressions about Tasty and that's it.

- In Mack I took only coffee, it was good here, and it remained. She loved breakfasts - muffin with egg and double pork cutlet. The potato pancake was still excellent. She wasn't there this morning. There are fewer drinks and desserts. The menu has gotten smaller. But it's still delicious, - shares a neighbor on the table Irina.

- Reformatted fairly quickly. But the new logo is unsuccessful, of course, they could have come up with more creative ideas. Design and service at the level. I think the reboot will go smoothly. Prices have remained about the same. I mostly went with the kids. My favorite dishes were Big Tasty and Shrimp Roll. While there are no analogues. But with shrimp [shrimps], everything is clear, it’s not like catching them from the Moscow River, ”says her friend Marina.

- I went on Sunday, but did not take anything. There was excitement. Now we are entering the usual demand, and I went back to test. “ Delicious and period” is too edifying, of course, and I, as a client, immediately feel cheated. I don’t believe that everything you take can be tasty by definition. But the atmosphere is good. The prices are democratic. There are a lot of people, long queues, which means that none of them are starving yet. Well, there will be "Tsar's Sprite" and "Peter the First" burger instead of American names - what's wrong? If good management is maintained, then let at least someone take the helm of all this, let at least the Martians arrive. Everything will remain at the level if the competition continues. The main secret of McDonald's success, as they themselves declared, is not food and not its quality, but staked out real estate in passing points. They cannot take real estate with them, which means that there is a chance, - says Mikhail, who introduces himself as a writer and economist.

Feelings after the visit are strange. “It’s as if they broke through, but a dumb question hangs in the air: “What’s the catch?” ...

The reformatting of McDonald's is a trial balloon; other companies wishing to be nationalized will be guided by it. In general, a crowd of observers, holding their breath, stands and watches how the freeze frame comes to life and what movie will be shown after...