The Soviet Union officially dissolve on December 26 , 1991 , but it was on January 31 , 1990 that the Bolshevik dreaming expire in all practicality . On that day , a McDonald ’s opened in Moscow .
The American fast food giant had petitioned the Communist Party to open a eating house andfinally receiveda “ da ” in 1988 . The Moscow vent was no average Mickey D ’s . It held700 backside at bottom and another 200 outsideand rang out customers on 27 Johnny Cash cash register , an appropriate super - size for a city of that magnitude and a rare embassador of American consumerism . ( It was the only fast food restaurant in Russia at the time . )
On the first day , the world saw that there was a requirement . More than 5000 Russians lined up in Pushkinskaya Square before it opened . 30,000 customers passed through the doors on that day , setting a criminal record for the number of patron attend to by a McDonald ’s in a single 24-hour interval .
Francis X. Clines ofThe New York Timesinterviewed a pipe factory workerwho said he ramify over four days ’ wages for a Big Mac , cheeseburger , apple pie , and two milkshake . Customers were reportedly imprint by American client table service ’s culture of civility , a sharp contrast to Soviet stoicism .
“ There is a moral to be draw from this for the body politic , '' teacher Tatyana Podlesnaya tell Clines in 1990 . “ What is killing us is that the mediocre proletarian does not know how to work and so does not desire to . Our enthusiasm has disappeared . But here my meal turned out to be just a supplement to the sincere smile of the workers . ”
The Soviet Union may have fallen , but the Moscow McDonald ’s continues to be subjected to political science . In 2014 , itwas closedfor “ health and safety violation , ” though many suspected revenge over the United States ’ sanction against Russia over the Kremlin ’s activeness in the Ukraine .
As of late 2015 , McDonald’shad 492 locationsin Russia .
Banner images viaYouTube .
