McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Moscow in 1990.
The Moscow restaurant opened on January 31, 1990, while the Soviet Union still existed. Its arrival attracted enormous public attention and became a notable example of Western commercial culture entering the late-Soviet marketplace. Thousands of people reportedly waited in line on opening day.
McDonald’s spent years preparing for the opening, including developing local supply arrangements so the restaurant could meet the company’s standards. The event therefore represented more than a new location: it showcased the international reach of McDonald’s operating and visual brand.
The opening is sometimes dated to the period of post-Soviet Russia, but 1990 is correct. The Soviet Union did not dissolve until 1991, so the first Moscow restaurant opened before that political transition.