Vending

Five Star Food Service acquires 4 operating companies in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio

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January 5, 2021

Five Star Food Service Inc., based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has acquired an Owensboro, Kentucky-based franchise group comprised of four operating companies that collectively go by the name of Canteen Service Company, according to a press release. The four companies include Canteen Service Company of Owensboro, Louisville-based Canteen Service Company of Kentuckiana, Cincinnati-based Derringer Food Group and Louisville-based John Conti Coffee Company, operating collectively as Canteen's third largest franchise.

"What excites me the most about this event is that I believe we are combining two very similar organizations," Richard Kennedy, president CEO of Five Star Food Service, said in a prepared statement. "Our two companies have a history of collaborating on best practices, working through challenging situations and making new introductions. We already have a history of making each other better."

The acquisition expands Five Star Food Service's reach into western Ohio, southern Indiana and a majority of Kentucky with service in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus (Indiana), Louisville, Lexington and Owensboro, among others. The acquisition pushes the company to nearly 2,300 micro markets, over 30,000 vending machines, 15,000 coffee and water service locations and more than 60 cafeterias.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.