Well, I don’t know but I’d guess McDonald’s pays the government rent to be there.
When I was stationed in England in the 1970s there were no fast-food places on base and none in the surrounding villages either. There was a McDonald’s that we passed by in London once, but the bus wouldn’t stop.
And there was a place in Bury St. Edmunds (~15-20 miles) called “Wimpys” that served American style hamburgers. By American hamburger standards, they weren’t very good, but it’s all we had off base.
Wow, that's an overstatement.
PS I went to London Central HS (school for American military dependents) in the 60's. Ate a Wimpy's half of once.
By the 90s, there were Burger Kings and Popeyes at every USAFE base in Europe.
I always went to the Bird-in-Hand and/or the Smokehouse outside of RAF Midenhall.