Roughly six months after 110 McDonald's locations in Ukraine were forced to close amid the turmoil of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the fast food chain has announced plans to gradually re-open those restaurants.
According to QSR magazine, a publication dedicated to the restaurant industry, the announcement was made earlier this week by Paul Pomeroy, corporate senior vice president of international operated markets at McDonald's
"As we look forward, supporting our people in Ukraine continues to be our number one priority," Pomeroy shared in a statement. The McDonald's re-openings will take place in various phases, with some reportedly set to take place in the capital of Kyiv and western Ukraine. An exact timeline has yet to be announced.
Although the 100-plus locations have been closed for nearly half a year, McDonald's has continued to pay the salaries of its 10,000 employees in Ukraine. Additionally, Pomeroy revealed that the decision comes at the urging of many of those workers.
"We’ve spoken extensively to our employees who have expressed a strong desire to return to work and see our restaurants in Ukraine reopen, where it is safe and responsible to do so," said Pomeroy. "In recent months, the belief that this would support a small but important sense of normalcy has grown stronger. And Ukrainian officials have advised that businesses resuming operations will support the local economy and the Ukrainian people."
Meanwhile, QSR also reports that McDonald's has decided to fully exit from Russia.
