McDonald’s announces plans to reopen in Kyiv, western Ukraine
Over the next few months, we will begin working with suppliers to get product to restaurants, making the physical properties ready to serve customers, bringing restaurant teams and employees back on site, and implementing enhanced procedures and protocols to support the safety of our people and customers,” Paul Pomroy, McDonald’s head of international operated markets, said in a message posted on the company’s website.
He noted that the company had closed all its restaurants in Ukraine on Feb. 24, following Russia’s invasion of the country.
“After extensive consultation and discussion with Ukrainian officials, suppliers, and security specialists, and in consideration of our employees’ request to return to work, we have decided to institute a phased plan to reopen some restaurants in Kyiv and western Ukraine, where other businesses have safely reopened,” Pomroy said.
Read also: Government urging McDonald's to reopen restaurants in Ukraine during war
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the company’s decision to resume work in Ukraine.
“Preparations for the immediate opening of restaurant doors will take some time. But the main thing is that there is a political solution: McDonald’s is coming back,” he said in a post on Facebook.
“As you know, we held long negotiations and convinced McDonald’s to resume work in Ukraine. I’m grateful to the company’s management for the decision. And special thanks to everyone who joined this advocacy in the United States and Ukraine.”
Read also: Why the Russian McDonald's clone is failing
According to Kuleba, the return of a large U.S. company is, first of all, a signal to international business about the possibility of working in Ukraine, even despite the war.
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
