Middleborough’s favorite soft-serve stop just pulled off a $4.2 million deal, and longtime fans can exhale: the town’s Dairy Queen is staying in the Pennini family. The sale hands both the land and the operating business to sisters Nicole Pennini Ferrara and Kara Pennini Kendrigan, who say they will run the shop through a family LLC.
Sale details and why it drew interest
The transaction, which covered both the real estate and the business operations, closed at $4.2 million. Marcus & Millichap, the brokerage that marketed the property, described the Middleborough Dairy Queen as “an exceptionally strong asset” and said strong sales and heavy foot traffic sparked serious investor interest, according to Connect CRE. The shop sits at 7 East Grove St. in a 1,880-square-foot barn-style building on roughly three-quarters of an acre, with a double-lane drive-thru and 29 parking spaces built to handle those summer rushes.
Family handoff and deep roots
The buyers, sisters Nicole Pennini Ferrara and Kara Pennini Kendrigan, purchased the property and business under Ferrara-Kendrigan LLC and said they are “so thrilled to keep it in the family,” according to Nemasket Week. The stand first opened in 1952 and became a Pennini family operation in 1966. Town assessor records cited by local reporting show George Pennini bought the business from his father in 1978, cementing the family’s role in running the site. Nemasket Week also points to longtime managers and staff who have stayed for decades, helping turn the place into a fixture for summer lines and post-game little-league celebrations.
What a 'treat-only' powerhouse looks like
Marcus & Millichap has tagged the Middleborough location as a top-performing “treat-only” Dairy Queen, meaning it sticks to desserts like Blizzards, cones, and sundaes instead of a full food menu. It is ranked as the second-highest-grossing treats-only Dairy Queen in the United States and the most-visited Dairy Queen in Massachusetts based on annual foot traffic, according to Boston.com. With Dairy Queen’s corporate footprint topping 7,800 locations in more than 20 countries, brokers highlighted that unusually busy franchises in strong markets can command premium pricing. They told prospective buyers that the streamlined setup and reliable summer surges tend to keep revenue swings gentler than at more food-focused units.
Local impact
The Pennini sisters say they want to preserve the traditions that turned the stand into both a charity supporter and a community hangout, with George’s years of outreach, including support for St. Vincent de Paul, noted in local coverage. The deal effectively locks in a compact commercial site that already manages heavy seasonal demand without needing major rebuilding, something local officials and brokers say helps maintain jobs and sales tax revenue. For Middleborough residents, the short-term headline is simple enough: the Blizzards are not going anywhere this summer.
The buyers declined to comment further on the sale when contacted, Boston.com reported, but said they plan to keep the shop’s role in the community intact. The deal is a pointed reminder that a busy, well-run treat-only franchise can stack up in value against many small retail properties in the region.
