The first McDonald's in Moscow, Russia reopened on Wednesday, 90 days since its closure in late August due to sanitary issues.
Staff waiting for the re-opening of the McDonald's in Pushkin Square applauded when the doors to the fast food restaurant opened after mid-day.
A couple of McDonald's restaurants in the country closed in August in the midst of the dispute between United States and Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. Regulators cited sanitary violations as the cause of the sanction.
Four restaurants outside Moscow remain close, while inspections in 200 McDonald's locations are ongoing. Another flagship restaurant in Moscow, this one located in Manezh Square, will reopen its doors in January after renovations.
Rospotrebnadzor, the company in-charge of the country's food safety, said that the inspections are in no relation between the U.S. and Russia relation. The agency also accussed the chain of understating the caloric value of its food.
According to McDonald's spokeswoman Svetlana Polyakova, Russia's sanitary watchdog had 250 inspections and closed down 12 McDonald's stores. The Ronald McDonald House Charities was also reportedly inspected by Russian prosecutors.
Polyakova said that they added a refrigerated area for garbage, storage space for burger buns and a dishwashing machine for trays in the store to meet the hygiene standards of Rospotrebnadzor. The spokeswoman said that they have reached agreement in all points of arguments.
According to Moscow Times, a number of U.S.-based fast food chains are leaving Russia since the country's on the brink of recession and there's no sign that the relationship with the West will improve. Wendy's already announced that they plan to leave the country in July.
McDonald's refused to comment on how much sales they've lost during the period of closing. In 2014, the burger chain opened 45 new restaurants in Russia and plans to open 25 more before the end of the year.
The Golden Arches first arrived in Russia in December 1990.
