Russians stocked up on McDonald’s menu items and formed lines at stores this week after the fast-food chain paused sales in the country over the Ukraine war – with one diner purportedly stashing dozens of burgers at home.
A photo posted in a viral Reddit thread showed a hoard of McDonald’s burgers in one person’s fridge – a sign of how desperate Russians were to secure their favorite meals before the store closures.
“McDonald’s is permanently closing in Russia here is my friend’s stash,” the Reddit post’s caption read. Commentators joked the McDonald’s hoarder should sell some of the burgers, with one poster quipping that it would be a “good business opportunity to sell stale burgers at a jacked price.”
Photos revealed Russian customers lining out the door at some McDonald’s locations after the fast-food giant said it would temporarily close its 850 stores in the country and pause operations over Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Avito, a Russian classifieds and auction platform similar to eBay, was flooded with listings from people attempting to sell McDonald’s food for exorbitant prices – with everything from burgers and drinks to individual sauce packets up for grabs.
In one listing reviewed by The Post, a seller was seeking 104,000 rubles for a McDonald’s cherry pie – the equivalent of more than $800. Another was charging 50,000 rubles, or more than $400, for a “collection of sauces” from McDonald’s.
In a letter to employees, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said the conflict had “caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people” and left the chain with little choice but to close stores.
“As we move forward, McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation and determine if any additional measures are required,” Kempczinski said. “At this juncture, it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia.”
McDonald’s expects to bear a steep financial cost over its decision to exit Russia. The company initially resisted calls for a shutdown.
Speaking at a conference, McDonald’s CFO Kevin Ozan said the chain expects the Russia closures to cost the company $50 million per month. McDonald’s plans to continue paying its 62,000 Russian employees during the shutdown.
“We expect this to be temporary and we certainly don’t take this decision lightly, but for us this is about doing what we think is the right thing to do, both for the global business and for our people locally,” Ozan said, according to CNBC.
