McDonald's "will get a triumphant welcome in Sochi as the event's official restaurant," according to Lena Smirnova of the MOSCOW TIMES. As one of 15 contracted caterers to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, "the world's largest fast food chain and nine-time official restaurant partner of the games will build three temporary outlets at Sochi Olympic sites: in the athlete's village, the media center and the ski resort Krasnaya Polyana." These restaurants "will feed athletes, support staff and journalists." McDonald's Russia CEO Khamzat Khasbulatov said that "in addition, McDonald's will add three additional permanent restaurants to the Sochi area." Khasbulatov: "The demand and the interest [in McDonald's] will remain, so our decision to build three [temporary] sites and have another four permanent ones in Sochi is linked the fact that the flow of guests will be huge. We think that we'll manage. We have great resources." The variety of food available in Sochi "will be broad." The 15 catering contractors "will serve food at 967 venues for more than 2 million people during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi." Over 7,300 people "will service the sector." Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee President Dmitry Chernyshenko said that "the menus would incorporate not only Caucasian and traditional Russian cuisines, but also vegetarian, Islamic law-approved halal, and other special cuisines to make the athletes feel well-fed and energized during competitions" (MOSCOW TIMES, 5/22).
