McDonald’s May Become ‘Fun and Tasty’ in Russia After ‘McDuck’ Fails

• McDonald’s in Russia has submitted a list of names, patent office filings seen by RBC show.
• Businessman Alexander Govor has agreed to buy all McDonald’s restaurants in Russia.
• McDuck, a slang term for McDonald’s in Russia, had already been trademarked by the US company.

McDonald’s in Russia has submitted possible name changes that include “Fun and Tasty” and “The Same One,” according to documents filed with Russia’s patent office and seen by Russian news outlet RBC.

The fast-food chain filed a number of potential names in a letter sent to Moscow patent agency Rospatent, which also include “Open Checkout,” “The only way,” and “Svobodnaya Kassa.”

“We are working on creating a new brand and have already sent applications for the registration of several names. In the future, one of all registered names will be selected, ” a McDonald’s spokesperson told RBC.

McDonald’s said on May 20 it had sold all of its restaurants to local businessman Alexander Govor, who agreed to continue paying its 62,000 employees as part of the agreement. It was announced a rebranding would follow. 

One of the most popular names, according to a Telegram poll, among a list compiled by Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade was “McDuck” – a slang term for McDonald’s in Russia.

However, RBC first reported that McDonald’s had already trademarked the name in the US, meaning it could not be used.

RBC said other trademarks of McDonald’s in Russia include Big Mac, McFlurry, McCafe, and University of Hamburgerology, a corporate educational center whose Moscow branch opened in 2019.

Moscow’s governor, Andrey Vorobyov, told RBC that the restaurants would reopen in mid-June and retain most menu items.

McDonald’s was one of a host of multinational companies abandoning its operations in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. It announced plans to “de-arch” its restaurants, although a number of franchisees refused to close. 

The fast-food giant’s entry into Russia was seen as a hugely symbolic cultural sign of thawing tensions following the end of the Cold War, with massive queues greeting its opening in 1990.

McDonald’s didn’t immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.