Moscow Can’t Seem to Get Enough of McDonald’s

Four weeks after the opening of the first McDonald’s in the Soviet Union, Moscow is still in the grip of fast-food fever, with 30,000 Muscovites lining up daily for hamburgers and fries, a company official said Wednesday.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company had originally predicted that the world’s largest McDonald’s would serve 10,000 to 15,000 people daily. McDonald’s says it serves 22 million people daily in 11,000 restaurants in 52 countries.

The company denied rumors circulating in Moscow that it was running short of meat and potatoes. Skepticism has run high about whether McDonald’s can produce its full menu, given local shortages.

“No, we are not running out of food,” said Peter Beresford, vice president of McDonald’s restaurants of Canada, which masterminded the project. “There are a lot of happy Muscovites.”

Because of lengthy lines, it takes longer to make the Muscovites happy than in the average McDonald’s; a typical wait in line is 40 to 45 minutes.

Once inside, the customers pay 3.75 rubles for a Big Mac in a country where the average monthly wage is 230 rubles. Beresford said the Muscovites are fascinated by the physical appearance of the 700-seat restaurant as well as by the novelty of McDonald’s Western menu.

McDonald’s joint venture with the Moscow City Council calls for 20 restaurants to open in the city. McDonald’s is working on the next Soviet opening, a restaurant that will accept only hard currency and could open by year-end.

McDonald’s and its Soviet partners built a 100,000-square-foot food-processing facility.