Knockoffs

Someone Opened a ‘Mash Donald’s’ for Big Mac–Deprived Iranians

Iranian hard-liners aren't lovin' it.
Iranian hard-liners aren’t lovin’ it. Photo: Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images

McDonald’s used to have outposts in Iran, but the chain was kicked out after the 1979 revolution. Now Iranians are filling the gap with an impostor of sorts: “Mash Donald’s,” complete with golden-ish arches and a smiling clown. (Iran is also home to “Pizza Hat,” “Kabooky Fried Chicken,” and other fake franchises.)

Buzz for the joint started a few weeks ago when a franchise application for Iran popped up on the McDonald’s corporate site, following news of the Iran nuclear deal. McDonald’s quickly clarified that there were no immediate plans for Great Satan Big Macs, but when it comes to the future, who knows? The owner of Mash Donald’s in Tehran might be the only living person who fears both Iranian hard-liners and U.S. trademark lawyers. It’s why he gave his restaurant the funny name: “My son advised me to go for Mash Donald’s,” he told the Times. “It sort of sounds the same.”

He might have this parody thing down, as in place of a true Big Mash, there’s an 18-inch-long “super sandwich” that he himself won’t even eat: “I prefer my wife’s home cooking. Fast food makes you super fat.”

[NYT]

Someone Opened a ‘Mash Donald’s’ for Big Mac–Deprived