‘The arrival of federally important players on Yekaterinburg’s catering market has made the competition fierce; so far, however, it has only done good to both consumers and local chains. The market has not become saturated yet, which is why it is highly unlikely that any of the companies are going to leave. In this respect, McDonald’s hasn’t changed much,’ says Nadezhda Buriko, the spokesperson for Kupets supermarket chain.

‘Fast food as such is not very popular in this country. Russians are used to having a full-course meal rather than just picking up a hamburger. This is why restaurants offering ready-made but nutritious meals have much more potential. Yekaterinburg has quite a good range of food courts supported largely by local players, whereas the street café niche – a very promising market segment - has not been filled yet,’ Ms Buriko said.