That's interesting. Cf.
1. The McDonald's in Felixstowe is in the same street as Burger King.
— for me, this would relate to contexts where only the location of the McDonald's was significant.
2. The McDonald's in Felixstowe is in the same street as the Burger King.
— while this would relate to contexts where the location of both was significant.
3. McDonald's in Felixstowe is in the same street as Burger King.
— this on the other hand seems to treat McDonald's and Burger King as corporate entities, rather than individual outlets.
MrP