Restaurant substituting McDonald's reopens branches in Kazakhstan

Some 21 branches of McDonald's restaurants have reopened in Kazakhstan, with three remaining closed.

The announcement was made by Food Solutions KZ company, which owns the McDonald's restaurants chain in the country, Interfax reports.

"Restaurants in Aktobe and Atyrau will open this week. Six out of the seven restaurants are already operating in Astana, and the last quick-service outlet is scheduled to reopen on June 1", the company said, adding that the restaurants are currently functioning without a name.

Food Solutions pledged to reveal its updated menu and disclose a new name soon.

McDonald's Corp. has decided to leave Kazakhstan after six years in the market.

The local chain had 24 outlets - in Almaty, Astana, Atyrau, Aktobe, Kostanai and Karaganda.

In November 2022, McDonald's ceased operations in Kazakhstan due to supply problems. According to Bloomberg, the company banned its Kazakh franchisee from buying meat from Russian suppliers and could not find a replacement. In addition, the fate of the McDonald's franchise owner in Kazakhstan, Kairat Boranbayev, who was arrested in March 2022 on suspicion of grand larceny, has also complicated the situation.

The termination of cooperation with the American brand Food Solutions was announced in early January. The company’s general director Asset Mashanov said that the chains will continue to operate under a local brand.