The CEO of the chain that took over most of the sites isn't happy about the use of Mcdonald's branding by some former franchisees.

The majority of McDonald's restaurants in Russia were purchased by Alexander Govor. The restaurants reopened on June 12 with a new menu, logo, and name.

"We don't have the right to use some colors, we don't have the right to use the golden arches, and we don't have the right to use any mention of Mcdonald's," Govor said.

The same ingredients and equipment are still used by Vkusno and tochka.

The Big Mac has been removed from the menu, branded packaging has been scrapped, and the logo has changed dramatically.

McDonald's Russia food on a tray with an arrow pointing to the sauce packet
Former McDonald's stores in Russia rebranded so quickly that some resorted to scribbling McDonald's logo off sauce packets.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

All of the former Mcdonald's franchise restaurants are different. The majority of Mcdonald's restaurants in Russia were owned by the company. Some of these locations are still selling Big Mac burgers under a different name and are using electronic screens with Mcdonald's branding.

"Of course we're not happy about this," Paroev said. Vkusno & tochka can't take legal action because they don't have rights to the Mcdonald's brand in Russia.

Around 100 of McDonald's former Russian restaurants hadn't been purchased by Govor, according to Paroev. One of the former franchisees agreed to join the new brand.

The ex-franchisees don't have access to the old suppliers.

He said it was a mystery to him what products were sold at airports. I can say with certainty that it's not the same stuff that was sold at Mcdonald's.

According to Paroev, Vkusno & tochka sold a record 120,000 burgers on its opening day and plans to open 1,000 restaurants in the next five years.