When the fast-food chain first opened in Russia on January 31, 1990, it was hailed as a sign of thawing Cold War relations and crowds of Muscovites flocked to taste their first Big Mac.
When The Big Mac Came To Moscow

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Huge crowds line up outside Moscow's first McDonald's on Pushkin Square when it opened on January 31, 1990.

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Muscovites were undeterred by the high prices at the new restaurant. Back in 1990, a Big Mac cost 3.50 rubles, more than a monthly bus pass. (The average monthly salary at the time was 150 rubles.)

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