Colonel Sanders, founder and emblem of the KFC brand, has disappeared from the scene… For its exact copy of the fast food chain, Russia has imagined its own version called Rostic’s. A first establishment opened its doors in Moscow on Tuesday, almost a year after KFC announced the closure of its 850 restaurants in the country, in protest of the invasion of Ukraine.
A faithful copy, with something close.
If Colonel Sanders has disappeared, the Rostic’s graphic menu remains similar in all aspects to the official brand: the design of the logo and packaging, with red and white stripes, is reminiscent of the KFC style.
“The sign is changing but the restaurant must maintain its authenticity for customers,” Konstantin Kotov, co-owner of Russian company Smart Service, which bought the KFC restaurants in April, explained in an interview with Russia’s RBK newspaper on Tuesday. to the American group Yum! brands.
The menu will also be identical, with two exceptions: Twister and Boxmaster sandwiches, whose company Yum! Brands, which owns the patents, will be renamed Chef-roll and Rostmaster, according to Kotov. “Everything else on the menu will keep the exact same names and prices,” he said.
Hundred Rostic’s for the end of summer
According to Mr. Kotov, around 100 KFC restaurants will be relaunched under the Rostic’s brand by the end of the summer. In total, the American chain had more than 1,100 establishments in Russia, whose conversion will be carried out gradually.
Namely, a Rostic’s restaurant chain already existed in Russia between 1993 and 2012, but its name was written in Cyrillic at that time. It had been acquired by Yum! Brands and its restaurants changed their name to KFC in 2012.
The fast food (cold) war
Since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine and the introduction of economic sanctions against Moscow, many large Western companies have left Russia, for ethical reasons or because of difficulties in carrying out their activities.
McDonald’s restaurants, symbols of the arrival of American capitalism in Russia at the end of the USSR, and Starbucks cafes also sold their local activities to Russian businessmen, without them having the right to use their brand.
Russian McDonald’s were replaced last June by Vkousno i totchka and Stars Coffee, which was supposed to replace Starbucks, opened in August. With a design and menus very close to its American predecessors.
Source: BFM TV
