The Golden Arches

Thirty-five years ago, I started collecting McDonald's placemats.  I thought it was cool to see the placemats (and menus) in different languages, especially Cyrillic. So I began collecting placemats in the countries I visited, mostly Eastern Europe. I stopped collecting years ago, but held onto the original paper placemats and scanned them for this post. I consider them one of my most unusual collections.

Moscow (Russia)

The first McDonald's opened in Moscow in January 1990. It was a big deal, a symbol of  Western culture and capitalism and of the USSR's opening to the outside world (end of the Cold War). When I visited Moscow in 1990, we went to McDonald's on several occasions. We always encountered long lines. Police monitored the crowds; better not butt in line! Ironically, it was total chaos once you got inside the restaurant, as everyone rushed towards the counters to place their orders. The menu was similar, but quite expensive for the average Russian. The Moscow McDonald's was operated by a Canadian company. After Russia invaded the Ukraine in 2022, McDonald's ceased operations and withdrew from the country. 

Prague (Czech Republic)

Moldova

Poland

The first McDonald's was opened in Poland (in Warsaw) in 1992. I lived in Poland for six months in 1993. Every time we went to Warsaw (8 hours away), we ate at the McDonald's at least once. Pizza Hut was our first meal stop. At the time, I didn't like how they made pizza or burgers in Poland, so whenever we had a chance to eat the American staples, we did. Otherwise, the food in Poland was generally good.  

Germany

Mexico

In the 1990s, there were more McDonald's than any other restaurant in the world. In 2025, McDonald's was second behind a Chinese fast food restaurant. 

Written 16 Jan 2026