The owner of the rebranded Russian McDonald’s is seeking to expand into Kazakhstan, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday.
The U.S. fast food giant sold its Russian business to a local licensee in May 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The rebranded McDonald’s, Vkusno i Tochka (“Tasty — and that’s it”), opened in July.
Vkusno i Tochka has applied for trademark registration in Kazakhstan after McDonald’s pulled out of Russia’s Central Asian neighbor this month, RIA Novosti reported, citing the Kazakhstan Justice Ministry.
"Applications for registration of trademarks … are under consideration," Kazakhstan’s Justice Ministry said.
McDonald’s exit from Kazakhstan has been attributed to disruptions to meat supplies from Russia caused by the invasion of Ukraine.
Asset Mashanov, the managing director of McDonald's Kazakhstan, said last week that the company was not considering operating under the Vkusno i Tochka brand.
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