Five Star Food Service announces acquisition of Atlanta-based Elite Vending Company

Five Star Food Service – headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, and a premier away-from-home food and beverage retail solutions provider – announced the completion of the acquisition of metro Atlanta’s Elite Vending Company, an independent operation that services Fulton, Cobb, Douglas, and Clayton counties in Georgia.

The acquisition adds to the company’s existing base of business in the Atlanta region. This is not the first transaction between the two companies. In 2015, Five Star acquired routes from Elite that, at the time, were based in competing geographic areas.

“Our growth into the Atlanta region in 2018 made way for this opportunity to partner with Elite on another transaction,” Richard Kennedy, Five Star’s president and CEO, said in the announcement. “We are thrilled to add multiple routes to our business in northwest Atlanta. Josh and the team at Elite have done a great job serving their clients, and Five Star is excited for the opportunity to continue to serve them.”

Elite Vending Company was founded by Josh Matthews in 2002. Prior to starting Elite, Matthews worked as an operations manager for Eagle Vending, now Five Star, for nearly a decade.

Five Star is an industry leader in micro markets, full-line vending, pantry, coffee and water services, full-service dining, catering, fresh food production, coffee roasting, secured delivery, and sustainable products serving nine states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. Five Star has grown to one of the largest privately held convenience services operators in the U.S. and is the largest franchise of Canteen, a Compass Group company.