KFC stores reopening as Rostic’s in Russia

KFC stores in Russia were already sold as it is one of the brands that has withdrawn its business in the country after the invasion of Ukraine. Now it was reported that the stores of the famous fried chicken brand are being reopened but under a new brand called Rostic’s.

This is said to be an old fried chicken chain in Russia, and it is being revived to replace the closed KFC locations in the country. As of Tuesday this week, a number of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants were reopened as Rostic’s stores.

According to Reuters, Yum! Brands Inc., which owns KFC finalized the restaurant’s exit from Russia last week. As it leaves, the master franchise rights were also transferred to a local franchisee, Smart Service, which is headed by Andrey Oskolkov and Konstantin Kotov.

Based on the deal, Yum! Brands agreed to sell its KFC restaurants, and the franchise agreement also includes the operating system and trademark rights for Rostic’s brand. The financial terms of the contract were not revealed by the companies.

At any rate, Russia’s Rostic’s fried chicken was first launched in 1993, at a time when the country was transitioning from communism to capitalism. The brand has become the medium for KFC’s expansion in the region. At the time of its exit, KFC had more than 1,000 stores in Russia.

Kotov said that Rostic’s would feature the same menu as KFC, but the names of the food items would be changed a bit. For instance, the brand’s Boxmaster was renamed Rostmaster, while the Twister is now being sold as the Chef-Roll. But then, customers are assured of the same taste that they have been enjoying when KFC was still active, as all the suppliers will also remain the same.

"We can no longer open KFC restaurants, unfortunately, but we are obliged to support them," the Smart Service head stated. "Our main goal is to rebrand and to create as little discomfort for people as possible in getting to know the brand and they should simply immerse themselves in the same world that they have always had."

Finally, Kotov said that they are planning to complete the reopening of KFC stores as Rostic’s across the country in the span of 18 months, as per Russia’s RBC News.

Photo by: Aleks Dorohovich/Unsplash