The group recently decided to close its 847 restaurants in Russia because, according to the company, it is impossible to ignore the human suffering of Ukrainians. In total, McDonald’s has about 62,000 employees in the country. They will continue to be paid, McDonald’s promises.
The McDonald’s boycott may also put pressure on other companies operating in Russia to follow suit. Yum Brands, the parent company of chicken restaurants KFC, previously decided to stop investing in expansion in Russia. But closing local fast food restaurants is difficult to enforce, according to the company, because they are run by independent franchisees.