Pressure on "Pepsi", "Coca-Cola" and "McDonald's" to exit the Russian market!

The New York Times reported that McDonald's, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Mondelez International, the maker of Oreos and Ritz Crackers, are facing increasing pressure from social media and from major investors to exit the market. Russian markets.

But Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson condemned the "unprovoked, unjust and horrific attacks", he said, on Ukraine by Russia, in a statement to employees on Friday.

Johnson said the company will donate any royalties it receives from its operations in Russia to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine, along with other financial contributions.

And yesterday, Saturday, the "Starbucks" website in Russia showed that nearly 130 stores in the country are open and operating in normal business hours.

While tech giants like Apple and luxury retailers like Hermes have moved quickly to pause sales or close stores in Russia due to the military operation in Ukraine, most US food companies and fast-food chains have remained open and largely silent.

Unlike retailers, some fast food companies do not actually own the restaurants operating there in their own name, according to Russia Today.

In Russia, Starbucks, Papa John's and Yumbrands chains, including KFC and Pizza Hut, are mostly run by franchisees, who often have close relationships with banks or Russian investors.

Based on the agreements, franchisees say it is up to the franchisor to decide whether to close a restaurant due to political turmoil, and not the brands themselves.

Fast-food restaurants and food and beverage companies were among the first entrants to the Russian market, and many have worked brilliantly there for decades.

Even in times of turmoil and other political tensions, companies still find consumers eager to buy American soda, gorging on burgers, chicken and pizza.

When McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Russia, on Moscow's Pushkin Square in 1990, an estimated 30,000 Russians queued up to taste their first hamburger.

A few years later, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, appeared in a commercial for Pizza Hut.

Unlike other restaurant chains, McDonald's owns the vast majority of its 847 restaurants in Russia.

According to an investor page, Russia accounts for 9 percent of the company's total revenue and 3 percent of its operating income.

The New York Times said that "McDonald's" did not make any statement about the Russian military operation.

A company spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether its restaurants in Russia were open, and how they received supplies or handled payments.

PepsiCo also did not make a statement about its operations in Russia, and its spokesmen did not respond to multiple emails seeking comment.

The company says on its website that it is the largest food and beverage manufacturer in Russia, and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in 3 factories in the country.

Last year, Russia accounted for $3.4 billion, or more than 4 per cent of PepsiCo's $79.4 billion revenue.

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