The fast food chain has decided on a Russian partner: the founder of Rostiks received a McDonald's franchise for 20 years. Experts explain: previous potential buyers may not have met the standards of the restaurant chain, and this deal is beneficial to both parties.

The first Russian partner of McDonald's will be the founder of Rostix. Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco buys about 30 trademarks of the famous fast food. He will be able to open a chain of fast food restaurants at airports and train stations. The franchise agreement will be valid for 20 years, reports RBC Daily, citing materials from Rospatent.

Until now, not a single domestic company could meet McDonald's partner requirements, says Alexander Ivanov, Deputy Department of Trade and Services of the City of Moscow.

"McDonald's - it is very important for them that franchisors comply with quality standards. Potential franchise buyers were perhaps not ready to fulfill their rather stringent requirements. Now the market is organizationally, managerially, and financially ripe for such a story. I think that Rostislav Ordovsky “Tanaevsky Blanco believes that it is a profitable investment to purchase a franchise from McDonald’s,” he said.

The deal to sell the franchise will help McDonald's in the competition, says Evgeniy Ivanov, managing partner of Fransh Growth Strategy.

“The most popular franchise that I have seen in Russia for the last five years is the McDonald's franchise and the Zara franchise. McDonald's competitor around the world is Subway. Their concept of easy adaptation to any real estate is a serious competitive advantage of Subway over McDonald's.

“Rosinter is the owner of many real estate properties in Moscow, which, perhaps, understand their lack of competitiveness in Moscow and want to put McDonald’s in these same properties, because their economics will be better a priori,” the expert is sure.

The McDonald's press service said it was premature to comment on this news until the process is fully completed.

"The market is ripe for a partnership with McDonald's"