MINSK - Restaurants formerly operating under the McDonald's brand in Belarus will be renamed 'Mak.by', the local company said on Tuesday (April 18), retaining access to recipes and apparently branching out from the new brand in neighbouring Russia.

McDonald's restaurants in Belarus, all 25 of which had been operated by local licensee KSB Victory Restaurants, were set to be rebranded as Vkusno & tochka, the successor to McDonald's restaurants in Russia.

That deal appears to have fallen through. Vkusno & tochka declined to comment, while KSB and McDonald's did not immediately respond to questions.

In November, McDonald's said it was no longer possible for its licensee to continue operating in Belarus, due to extensive local supply issues.

"As a result, the licensee will stop operating as McDonald's, and will no longer carry the McDonald's name or serve our menu," McDonald's said at the time.

The hamburger chain was one of the first Western brands to stage a full exit from Russia when it sold to a local licensee, Alexander Govor, in May last year.

Govor's Vkusno & tochka, which translates as "Tasty and that's it", agreed to a set of requirements, including restrictions on branding, colour scheme and product usage.

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But in using the name Mak.by, the Belarusian company is retaining some brand recognition. In Russia, the new chain was not permitted to use the word 'Mac' in products.

In a statement, Mak.by said it would preserve "the beloved taste of all our dishes". It said it had received over 1,500 suggestions for the new name from customers and staff.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in March suggested that he had intervened in the renaming process, although he has previously voiced some disdain at the business.

"We ourselves should do what McDonald's once did, if anyone needs it, and even better," he said last autumn. "Do we not have anyone who can cut a bun into two, and shove a piece of meat, potatoes and salad into these two halves?" 

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Source: Reuters