Kazakhs brave cold, long queues for McDonalds

    Hundred’s of mostly young, burger-lovin’ Kazakhs battled freezing temperatures and long lines in the capital Astana on Tuesday for a chance to place their fast-food orders at the country’s first McDonald’s restaurant.
    Headlining the grand opening was the eatery’s owner, Kairat Boranbaev, and Astana’s mayor, Adilbek Dzhaksybekov, who declined to bite into a Big Mac that the restaurant staff offered him after the inauguration ceremony.
    Kazakhstan’s first McDonald’s occupies an area of 863 square meters in the center of the capital and can seat 206 clients.
    The second is due to open later this year and another 15 McDonald’s are scheduled to open over the next five years.
    Prices at the fast-food restaurant range from $0.70 (0.63 euros) to $4.20 (3.80 euros). A Big Mac sells for $2.3 (2.0 euros).
    The Kazakh McDonald’s opened a day after the Central Asian nation’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, paid a visit to the establishment, which the government says it hopes will help spark investor confidence in Kazakhstan.
    “Before stepping into a new market, investors explore the representation of the world’s largest brands here, and McDonald’s is on that list. Investors will get a taste of the potential of our market, the purchasing power of citizens, and the overall economic situation in the country,” Nursultan’s press secretary, Dauren Abaev, told journalists during the president’s visit.
    According to Abaev, the network of McDonald’s restaurants will provide jobs for about 20,000 people and further contribute to the Kazakh economy through “the purchase of 70 to 80 percent of its produce from local suppliers,” according to the Latin American Fox News.