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Twenty years ago, Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev was still in power. But the Berlin wall had just come down. And the times they were a-changing. At this pivotal moment, in the bleakness of a Russian winter, a bright new sign came to Moscow. It was the sight of McDonald’s Golden Arches. That was 20 years ago this week. Analyst Masha Lipman was then and still is a resident of Moscow. (Photo: Fred Adler / BBC)
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MARCO WERMAN: Twenty years ago Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. Mikhael Gorbachev was still in power. But the Berlin wall had just come down and things were changing fast. At that pivotal moment, in the bleakness of a Russian winter, a bright new sign appeared in Moscow. It was the Golden Arches of McDonald’s. That was exactly 20 years ago this week. Analyst Masha Lipman was then, and still is, a resident of Moscow. Masha what was it like when McDonald’s arrived there?
MASHA LIPMAN: It was indeed a sensation. It will be remembered that the year 1990 was the year of acute shortages. The Soviet economy was for all practical purposes falling apart. Amidst this grim environment there appeared this shining place and people rushed, they rushed there because this was something very new. There were very long lines. People were waiting in the cold for one hour or even longer and when they got in, one of the things that struck me, and I remember it to this day was how the employees were able to keep the place clean. That was one of the things that impressed us.
MARCO WERMAN: Right, and it wasn’t just about, of course, what the place looked like, it was about the burgers and the fries. To help us remember why a McDonald’s was so different, here’s an excerpt from a news report by Canadian Broadcasting’s Don Murray from opening day back in 1990 where he spoke to the first customers.
DON MURRAY: Their verdict on the feast was mixed. I don’t like it at all, he says, it’s not Russian. This woman doesn’t know what she just ate, but she said it was unusual and delicious. We’re all hungry in this city, she says, we need more of these places. There’s nothing in our stores or restaurants.
MARCO WERMAN: Nothing in the stores and restaurants. Masha Lipman, that last voice as you know, was a vivid reminder of just how difficult life in Moscow was back then. How hard was it just to get food in 1990?
MASHA LIPMAN: Well it was basically hunting for food. You had to be always on the alert so if you went by a street and saw a line, you would find out what was on sale and probably stop and forget about your other doings and wait to get at least something. Even things as basic as milk.
MARCO WERMAN: The other thing that was certainly new and different about McDonald’s in Moscow in 1990 was the customer service. Here’s another excerpt from Don Murray’s story from 1990.
DON MURRAY: I spilled my milkshake, he says, and I thought they’d bawl me out. Instead, they gave me another one. All of the staff have been taught to smile relentlessly, all the time.
MARCO WERMAN: Masha Lipman what was so unusual about the staff at this new McDonald’s smiling in 1990?
MASHA LIPMAN: The grim faces and rude manners of Soviet sales people were proverbial. I think at the time McDonald’s had this hiring policy in which they tried to pick only those people who had not had the experience of working in the Soviet catering system or the Soviet food stores. People who smiled naturally. You were met with a real crowd of young people behind the counter and all of them were smiling at you.
MARCO WERMAN: When was the last time you went to McDonald’s?
MASHA LIPMAN: Not too long ago. I sometimes do. It’s fast. You know, when you have some things to do in the morning outside of my office and then going back to the office, I sometimes drop by and get something to eat there very quickly just because it’s so fast. The McDonald’s that I have in mind is the same first McDonald’s. Actually I’m sitting here in my office, it’s within two minutes from where I sit.
MARCO WERMAN: One in five meals in the United States is a fast food meal. That leads here to obesity. Are people in Russia 20 years after the opening of the first McDonald’s looking with more scrutiny at this restaurant that at first seemed so magical?
MASHA LIPMAN: Well at first it did. And also there is the anti-American sentiment which is quite substantial in Russia. And, of course, it’s common to say that McDonald’s is poor quality and McDonald’s is using a lot of fat. McDonald’s is not good for you. It’s unhealthy food. But I guess no matter how people may grumble, they still think it’s convenient, it’s cheap and they do use it.
MARCO WERMAN: Masha Lipman of the Carnegie Moscow Center reflecting on the arrival of McDonald’s in Moscow 20 years ago this week. Thank you Masha.
MASHA LIPMAN: My pleasure.
MARCO WERMAN: And thanks to CBC’s Don Murray for that blast from the past. You can check out his original story via our website, the world dot org.
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