MOSCOW, Russia: After battling supply chain issues, potato shortages and a hefty
rebranding job, the successor to McDonald's in Russia, Vkusno i tochka, meaning "Tasty and that's it," said it expects to have all 850 restaurants open by the end of the year.

Oleg Paroev, CEO of the company, told reporters that since opening on 12th June, the restaurant has sold more than 1.2 million burgers, occasionally recording higher sales on certain days than under the McDonald's brand.

In May, McDonald's left Russia after a Western backlash against Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, selling all of its restaurants owned by local licensee Alexander Govor.

Since the reopening, Vkusno i tochka's food sales have surpassed expectations, but Paroev said the challenges were also "much more complicated than initially envisaged."

After potato supply issues left many of its restaurants without French fries this summer, Paroev said, "We suffered for two to three months," adding that this issue had now been resolved, but declined to say which countries now send potatoes to Russia.

In line with the efforts of Russian companies to bypass Western sanctions over Ukraine, Vkusno i tochka aims to replace imports of critical ingredients with locally produced products, Paroev
noted.

After opening 820 locations and spending millions of roubles on rebranding, Paroev also said the company is negotiating with the one remaining former franchisee on joining the Vkusno i tochka brand.