McDonald’s is more than fast food in Ukraine — it’s a small piece of America. Vitalii, who worked there after it reopened during the war, says it also serves as shelter during blackouts and cold.
I'm old enough to have been brought up, firstly in the UK, then in South Africa, without fast food, and so MacDonald's has never been part of my lifestyle. I have probably bought food there four or five times in my life, including once for a homeless person - and I am 70!
20 years ago I spent a few months in Swaziland (now Eswatini) - in those days the only non-local fast food outlet that was permitted to operate was Kentucky Fried Chicken - the Swazis love chicken, and there were long queues stretching outside the capital outlet every day. KFC also had exclusive, low price items on the menu, such as a bread roll with gravy and a piece of chicken, and small cups of ice-cream.
I should mention that as a child in the UK, the only fast food available was fish & chips - a special occasional treat. In South Africa we could buy fish & chips - but usually just a bag of chips (fries, not crisps!) to eat whilst we watched a film/movie at the local fleapit. I don't recall any other fast food outlets until I was around 20.
A striking commentary; thank you. With the article's help, I think I can understand the symbolic, emotional, and material support McDonald's reliably offers a beleaguered population. And a reminder of how a (US) corporation can contribute real help to the Ukrainian people by exhibiting the courage and persistence the US government mostly lacks (at, presumably, a profit of course).
But other well known US corporations have been perhaps not so noble: for example, is Starbucks still operating in Ukraine? I think KFC is.....
When I briefly lived in American Samoa 🇦🇸, the McDonald’s there was the most profitable one on the planet at the time. For a long time McDonald’s was the only quick service restaurant in the territory. Culturally it was strange being at a McDonald’s that technically was still within US jurisdiction but was still treated by many of the locals as a bit of major, formal outing that you got specially dressed up for.
Oksana’s cat Mary — her face looks like that of our late kitty Muse, whom we lost in June, 2025, at the age of 19. She also had luxurious fur, and was a great little cat.
Take care of lovely Mary, and thank you for sharing her picture.
Who knew McD's would be such a symbol in Ukraine? I guess it makes sense, Ukraine is a successful democracy with thriving economy up until ruzzia invaded. I'm glad people have a place to go recharge. I personally have not been in a McD's since high school (I'm in the US and I'm vegetarian. Mary is lovely! I hope the heat comes on soon and she can sleep ON TOP of the bathrobe, comfortably!
I wonder if many Americans would be pissed off at Russia if they knew they were attacking one of their favorite fast food brands there. Maybe not 🤷♀️.
I worked at a McDonald’s in high school like many American teenagers. Back then, we didn’t have computerized cash registers, but we easily memorized the prices of most of the combos.
Our store was opposite a major sports/entertainment venue, and whenever there was an event going on, we would be slammed within minutes afterward. I don’t know if it was the busiest McDonald’s in the USA, but it was definitely top five or 10. That plus a fry basket burn on my arm plus messy shake explosions on my uniform are my major memories of that era.
I have another McDonald’s memory from thousands of miles away. I was on a volunteer trip to Israel, and one of the young men in our group had also worked in McDonald’s. He took a job there to help pay his way through college and found that the training and advancements he received were enticing, so he stayed with the company after graduation.
His dream was to get enough experience and savings to buy his own franchise, which would make him a millionaire many times over. I wonder if he’s achieve that goal. It’s been close to 40 years since that trip, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
PS: I wonder if a McDonald’s job is still a standard high school gig for teenagers. I don’t visit many of them now, so I’m not sure, but with mass immigration, seniors continuing to work out of necessity, and automation replacing cashiers, I wonder how many kids get the opportunity for those after school jobs like I had. That was my concert ticket — before prices skyrocketed — and record album money.
I’m not a big burger fan. Odd, I know. And these days when I do get McDonald’s the grease doesn’t sit well with me. But I understand the allure. They do have the best fries in the world. Another odd thing, is that I would order just the hot fudge from the hot fudge sundae. It’s the price of extra hot fudge if you were getting the whole sundae. When I was a kid I loved those sundaes but was really only after the hot fudge.
I sometimes eat at McDonald's when I'm traveling here in the U.S. It's maybe not the best food available, but it's fast and reliable; McDonalds maintains amazing consistency, so you know what you'll get.
When I was a kid my grandmother would send us McDonalds coupons in the mail for our birthdays. They were paper, plus it was a treat to have fast food since we seldom had it.
I'm old enough to have been brought up, firstly in the UK, then in South Africa, without fast food, and so MacDonald's has never been part of my lifestyle. I have probably bought food there four or five times in my life, including once for a homeless person - and I am 70!
20 years ago I spent a few months in Swaziland (now Eswatini) - in those days the only non-local fast food outlet that was permitted to operate was Kentucky Fried Chicken - the Swazis love chicken, and there were long queues stretching outside the capital outlet every day. KFC also had exclusive, low price items on the menu, such as a bread roll with gravy and a piece of chicken, and small cups of ice-cream.
Fast food is comfort food, wherever you are.
I'm a pretty healthy person in general, but I love KFC. I can't fight it.
I should mention that as a child in the UK, the only fast food available was fish & chips - a special occasional treat. In South Africa we could buy fish & chips - but usually just a bag of chips (fries, not crisps!) to eat whilst we watched a film/movie at the local fleapit. I don't recall any other fast food outlets until I was around 20.
A striking commentary; thank you. With the article's help, I think I can understand the symbolic, emotional, and material support McDonald's reliably offers a beleaguered population. And a reminder of how a (US) corporation can contribute real help to the Ukrainian people by exhibiting the courage and persistence the US government mostly lacks (at, presumably, a profit of course).
But other well known US corporations have been perhaps not so noble: for example, is Starbucks still operating in Ukraine? I think KFC is.....
KFC is here, but I don’t think Starbucks ever has been
When I briefly lived in American Samoa 🇦🇸, the McDonald’s there was the most profitable one on the planet at the time. For a long time McDonald’s was the only quick service restaurant in the territory. Culturally it was strange being at a McDonald’s that technically was still within US jurisdiction but was still treated by many of the locals as a bit of major, formal outing that you got specially dressed up for.
I miss AmSam.
Oksana’s cat Mary — her face looks like that of our late kitty Muse, whom we lost in June, 2025, at the age of 19. She also had luxurious fur, and was a great little cat.
Take care of lovely Mary, and thank you for sharing her picture.
What a wonderful story. 💙💛
Who knew McD's would be such a symbol in Ukraine? I guess it makes sense, Ukraine is a successful democracy with thriving economy up until ruzzia invaded. I'm glad people have a place to go recharge. I personally have not been in a McD's since high school (I'm in the US and I'm vegetarian. Mary is lovely! I hope the heat comes on soon and she can sleep ON TOP of the bathrobe, comfortably!
Fascinating piece. Thanks for sharing it.
I wonder if many Americans would be pissed off at Russia if they knew they were attacking one of their favorite fast food brands there. Maybe not 🤷♀️.
I worked at a McDonald’s in high school like many American teenagers. Back then, we didn’t have computerized cash registers, but we easily memorized the prices of most of the combos.
Our store was opposite a major sports/entertainment venue, and whenever there was an event going on, we would be slammed within minutes afterward. I don’t know if it was the busiest McDonald’s in the USA, but it was definitely top five or 10. That plus a fry basket burn on my arm plus messy shake explosions on my uniform are my major memories of that era.
I have another McDonald’s memory from thousands of miles away. I was on a volunteer trip to Israel, and one of the young men in our group had also worked in McDonald’s. He took a job there to help pay his way through college and found that the training and advancements he received were enticing, so he stayed with the company after graduation.
His dream was to get enough experience and savings to buy his own franchise, which would make him a millionaire many times over. I wonder if he’s achieve that goal. It’s been close to 40 years since that trip, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
PS: I wonder if a McDonald’s job is still a standard high school gig for teenagers. I don’t visit many of them now, so I’m not sure, but with mass immigration, seniors continuing to work out of necessity, and automation replacing cashiers, I wonder how many kids get the opportunity for those after school jobs like I had. That was my concert ticket — before prices skyrocketed — and record album money.
I’m not a big burger fan. Odd, I know. And these days when I do get McDonald’s the grease doesn’t sit well with me. But I understand the allure. They do have the best fries in the world. Another odd thing, is that I would order just the hot fudge from the hot fudge sundae. It’s the price of extra hot fudge if you were getting the whole sundae. When I was a kid I loved those sundaes but was really only after the hot fudge.
I sometimes eat at McDonald's when I'm traveling here in the U.S. It's maybe not the best food available, but it's fast and reliable; McDonalds maintains amazing consistency, so you know what you'll get.
When I was a kid my grandmother would send us McDonalds coupons in the mail for our birthdays. They were paper, plus it was a treat to have fast food since we seldom had it.