Five Star Food Service Acquires Lincoln County Vending

The acquisition expands Five Star’s service territory in southern Tennessee.

February 17, 2023

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—Five Star Food Service has announced the acquisition of Lincoln County Vending, a Canteen franchise based in Fayetteville, Tennessee. The acquisition expands Five Star’s service territory to the west in southern Tennessee along the Alabama state line.

“Dan Holt, his family and the folks at Lincoln County have built a successful forward-thinking business with strong values and relationships,” said Richard Kennedy, Five Star’s president and CEO. “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue the business’ success and serve new customers and communities.”

Lincoln County Vending has been family-owned since its founding in 1989. Dan Holt Sr. and his son Dan Holt Jr. originally started the business as a Tom’s distributor called Dan’s Snack Sales. A year later, the company was renamed to its current. After 15 years and with an eye toward additional growth, Lincoln County Vending became a member of the Canteen franchise group in 2005.

“As industry friends and neighboring Canteen franchises, our team has gotten to know the Holt family and Kevin Posey, head of operations, quite well over the years,” said Mark Stephanos, executive vice president of operations for Five Star. “We are thrilled to be growing our service area and customer base in southern Tennessee and northern Alabama. This addition fits very well into our operating footprint geographically, connecting to our territories to the north, south and east.”

As part of the acquisition, Five Star also will also provide an introductory investment to the Hands of Mercy Outreach Center. With the gift, Hands of Mercy will be able to provide thousands of meals to local kids through its Bags of Blessings program.

Five Star Food Service, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a food and beverage retail solutions provider for employers and other commercial, institutional and educational locations. It serves 10 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee. 

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