Vkusno i tochka wants its trademark to be registered in Kazakhstan

The Russian fast food chain Vkusno i tochka is going to register its trademark in Kazakhstan. Sistema PBO, the company running the chain, has already filed the relevant application, the Interfax Kazakhstan news agency said, citing the intellectual property department of the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan.

«The application filed by Sistema PBO for registration of several trademarks with the words Vkusno i tochka are under consideration of the authorized agency,» the intellectual property department said.

Vkusnoi i tochka has been operating in Russia since the moment Russian businessman Alexander Govor acquired the franchise rights to McDonald’s in Russia.

Currently, the Russian fast-food chain is planning to enter the markets in Armenia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The company even wants to expand its operation in those countries where McDonald’s isn’t present, according to Oleg Paroev, CEO of Vkusno i tochka. For example, the chain is negotiating with McDonald’s about Abkhazia.

In early January 2023, the company said that it had no plans to enter Kazakhstan’s market instead of McDonald’s.

In November 2022, McDonald’s suspended its operation in Kazakhstan due to discrepancies in the Russian food supply. According to Bloomberg, once McDonald’s left Russia, the company demanded its Kazakhstani partner not to acquire patties from Russia. The Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan added that McDonald’s requirements are so tough that local meat producers weren’t able to adjust to these new requirements fast enough.

On the other hand, Aset Mashanov, CEO of Food Solutions KZ, a company that used to run McDonald’s in Kazakhstan, said that the company is going to rename the chain or even restart its operation with no name at all.