ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Five Star Food Service acquired M&M Sales Company, a Canteen franchise based in Lafayette, Louisiana, according to a news release. The acquisition expands the company’s service territory into Louisiana and the western United States.

“We are excited to be establishing ourselves west of the Mississippi River, entering Louisiana for the first time as a Canteen franchise. Chuck, his wife Frances, and their children have built a quality business grounded in strong family values and community relationships,” said Richard Kennedy, Five Star’s president and CEO. “Our team is grateful to have the opportunity to carry forward the success of their business.”

Founded by Charles “Chuck” McMath in 1972, M&M Sales Company was a member of the Canteen franchise group for 20 years, serving Southwest Louisiana out of distribution centers in Lafayette, Lake Charles and Houma.

“The company’s forward-thinking approach to adopting and leveraging new technologies was attractive to us,” said Mark Stephanos, executive vice president of operations for Five Star. “The addition of the M&M Sales’ business is a strong complement to our existing operations across the Gulf Coast.”

Company leadership also made an introductory investment in the community to Feeding America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana via a $5,000 donation from Five Star’s non-profit foundation, Feeding the Future. With the gift, Second Harvest will be able to provide over 20,000 meals to fight hunger locally.