7 National Quick-Service Restaurant Chains That Pursue Ground Leases in New England

National quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands remain among the most active seekers of freestanding ground leases and pad sites in New England. Drive-thru entitlements are scarce, frost and wetlands raise development cost, and arterial corners near grocery or big-box anchors stay competitive. The seven brands below have publicly documented ground-lease, purchase-or-ground-lease, or freestanding pad activity tied to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, or broader New England search criteria.

Chick-fil-A

Eastern Retail Properties lists Chick-fil-A's New England tenant criteria as 1.2-plus acre sites, about 5,000 square feet with a 25-plus car double drive-thru, purchase or ground lease, signalized access, and high traffic counts. The territory covered includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

That language is unusually direct: Chick-fil-A's New England broker representation openly includes ground lease as an acquisition method. Land need is larger than a typical inline QSR bay because of dual-lane stacking and parking. For landowners, a Chick-fil-A ground-lease conversation usually starts with whether the parcel can deliver signalized access and roughly 1.2 acres of usable site area after setbacks and stormwater.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell franchise expansion in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island has been highly visible. On March 4, 2025, Summit Realty Partners announced ten lease and sale transactions for Desert De Oro Foods, Inc., a 400-plus unit Taco Bell franchisee, in markets including Hanover, Easton, Brockton, and Middleboro, Massachusetts, and Warwick, Rhode Island. Summit said the newly opened Hanover location sits on a pad site in front of Target on Washington Street (Route 53). The firm stated that DDO Foods and Taco Bell continue to pursue pad sites, undeveloped land, endcaps, existing buildings, or build-to-suit opportunities, with a preferred building size of about 2,500 square feet, a minimum land area of about 23,000 square feet, and a drive-thru essential for all locations.

Those criteria map cleanly to ground-lease or pad deals: small building, dedicated drive-thru, and land area large enough for stacking and parking. Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island landowners near Target or similar anchors are especially relevant.

Wendy's

Wendy's has used absolute NNN corporate ground leases on freestanding New England sites. Horvath & Tremblay reported the May 2024 sale of a new-construction Wendy's at 500 North Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for $2,271,379. The firm described an absolute triple-net corporate ground lease with a 20-year base term, one ten-year and two five-year renewal options, and twelve percent rent increases every five years through the primary term and options. The site sits at the signalized intersection of North Avenue (U.S. Route 1) and Lindley Street, near the Route 8/25 interchange.

The Bridgeport deal is a clear Connecticut example of Wendy's occupying freestanding land under a long absolute ground lease. Landowners evaluating similar arterial corners should expect drive-thru design, corporate or strong franchise credit, and multi-decade option packages to dominate negotiations.

Popeyes

Popeyes appears in Connecticut as a single-tenant absolute NNN ground-lease investment. Charter Realty has marketed Popeyes at 1060 Huntingdon Avenue in Waterbury, Connecticut, as a 20-year absolute NNN ground lease that commenced in 2021, with roughly 16 years of firm term remaining at the time of marketing, zero landlord responsibilities, and a 1.21-acre drive-thru site at a signalized corner near Route 8. Offering materials emphasized the scarcity of drive-thru entitlements in Connecticut and the broader New Haven-Waterbury corridor.

For landowners, Popeyes' Waterbury example shows that national chicken QSR brands will take absolute ground leases in high-barrier New England markets when access and stacking work. Franchisee credit and remaining term still require deal-level review.

McDonald's

McDonald's remains the benchmark freestanding QSR ground-lease tenant nationally, and New England has documented examples. The Boulder Group arranged the sale of a McDonald's ground lease at 173 Washington Street in Hudson, Massachusetts, in the Boston MSA. Offering and sale materials described a roughly 1.55-acre site with a 20-year absolute-net ground lease beginning in November 2016 and running through November 2036, with escalations and multiple five-year renewal options. The Boulder Group's public sale announcement priced the Hudson ground lease at $1.875 million.

Even when a specific listing ages, the Hudson structure illustrates how McDonald's New England ground leases are typically underwritten: absolute net economics, long primary term, and extensive options. Summit Realty Partners has also publicly noted multiple New Hampshire QSR and fast-food drive-thru projects in its regional transaction coverage, underscoring ongoing freestanding demand.

Burger King

Burger King freestanding net-lease assets continue to trade in Massachusetts. Marcus & Millichap has listed a Burger King at 711 GAR Highway / U.S. Route 6 in Swansea, Massachusetts, as an absolute-net investment with roughly 14.3 years remaining, four five-year renewal options, and a franchisee guarantee from JSC Management Group. Local news covered the Swansea Burger King's grand opening events in February 2023, confirming the freestanding restaurant's return to that corridor.

Absolute-net freestanding Burger King leases are not always pure land-only ground leases, but they occupy the same pad and arterial real estate that ground-lease QSR tenants seek. Swansea's Route 6 location is a southern Massachusetts example landowners can compare when pricing drive-thru sites near retail corridors.

Dunkin'

Dunkin' is ubiquitous in New England and frequently sits on freestanding or outparcel sites. NNN Marketplace has listed a Dunkin' in Dover, New Hampshire (Silver Street), with absolute NNN, corporate-guaranteed structure, long remaining term, and multiple five-year options described in listing materials - the same investment profile associated with ground-lease QSR assets. Separate Connecticut land listings have also referenced ground-lease pads previously approved for Dunkin' use, reflecting how often the brand is entitled on freestanding parcels.

Because Dunkin' density in New England is already high, many new deals are relocations, rebuilds, or small-market fills rather than first-in-market entries. For landowners, the practical screen is whether a parcel can support a freestanding or pad Dunkin' with drive-thru under local zoning - and whether a corporate or strong franchise guarantee is available.

Putting QSR ground leases in context

These seven brands share a preference for freestanding or pad geometry, drive-thru where allowed, and long absolute or NNN economics. Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell publish especially clear New England site asks. Wendy's, Popeyes, McDonald's, Burger King, and Dunkin' show verified freestanding or ground-lease investment activity in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire.

Landowners should underwrite remaining lease term, rent bumps, who guarantees the lease, and whether drive-thru rights are vested. In New England, those rights often matter as much as the brand name.

To see current QSR-ready pads and freestanding sites, browse current NECPE listings. A NECPE member broker can help connect a New England parcel with the QSR brands actively pursuing ground leases.