"[6] Beginning in 1976, McDonald's of Canada attempted to open two portable restaurants during the Games, near Luzhniki Stadium, the primary venue.

[7][6] In autumn 1979 Moscow mayor Vladimir Promyslov vetoed the plan, despite allowing "hundreds" of other Western companies as official suppliers.

[6] Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced various policies, including perestroika (1985) and glasnost (1986), as attempts to encourage investment from Western countries.

McDonald's of Canada president George Cohon aimed to try the market again, and was allowed to lead the project by the parent company.

[7] The first McDonald's in the country had a grand opening on Moscow's Pushkin Square on 31 January 1990 with approximately 38,000 customers waiting in hours long lines, breaking company records at the time.

[9] In January 2020, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its opening, the first Russian McDonald's on Moscow's Pushkin Square (which had previously been renovated in 2010) was redesigned by Landini Associates.

[11] At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, McDonald's had over 800 restaurants across Russia with a total of 62,000 employees, "hundreds" of suppliers, and millions of daily customers.

[12][13] A BBC reporter, who attended the closing of the first McDonald's in Moscow, stated that the mood was solemn, with people flocking to witness the event, and it was also "hugely symbolic," as the first store's opening was "when iron curtains were crumbling & Russia was embracing the West.

In November 2022, McDonald's announced that due to "extensive local supply issues" its licensee in neighbouring Belarus would stop operating under its name, and the restaurants were rebranded as Vkusno i tochka.