Pretty much the same except for the name: Starbucks in Russia is now called Stars Coffee

In Russia, the converted former branches of the American coffee chain Starbucks reopened on Friday. The chain closed its doors in March due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and decided to leave altogether in May. The Russian replacement is called Stars Coffee.

At first glance, little seems to have changed. For example, the Stars Coffee logo looks suspiciously like the old American logo. Instead of a mermaid, there is now a woman in traditional Russian clothing on the coffee cups.

Also, many drinks have remained the same, but there is no patented frappuccino on the menu. Furthermore, just like the Americans, the Russians write the customer's name on the cup when ordering.

The first adapted branches opened in the capital Moscow on Friday. All branches in Russia should be open by the end of September. Most remain coffee shops, some branches become restaurants. "Why Stars Coffee? This new brand unites the stars of the gastronomic industry," the new owners stated on the website. According to them, the majority of the more than 2,000 former Starbucks employees have continued to work at Stars Coffee.

Starbucks decided to temporarily close its 130 stores after the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. Later, the company ceased operations in the country altogether. Starbucks was active in Russia for fifteen years.

Other large chains, such as fast food giant McDonald's, also decided to leave the country because of the war. The new Russian version of McDonald's has been open for a while now and is called Vkusno i Tochka. The name means freely translated: Nice, period!