The largest vending machine vendor headquartered in the Southeast is expanding and relocating its headquarters to downtown Chattanooga.
Five Star Food Service, the Canteen franchise operator of vending machines and self-service micro-markets in nine states, announced Wednesday it will add at least 25 employees to its Chattanooga office staff and relocate its headquarters by the end of the year to a former Tennessee Valley Authority vehicle maintenance center at 412 E. 10th St.
“Relocating into the heart of the city allows us to deepen our investment in our people and to this community, perfectly aligning with our long-term vision,” Five Star CEO Richard Kennedy said Tuesday in an announcement of the expansion. “Being next door to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where we find a great pool of professional talent, is also very exciting.”
Kennedy said the company has had “incredible growth” in recent years, acquiring three other Canteen franchise providers in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky in just the past year. Five Star is now the largest franchise operator for Canteen and has nearly 2,000 employees at its Chattanooga headquarters and 35 distribution facilities.
C. J. Recher, vice president of marketing at Five Star Foods, said the new downtown location will allow Five Star to expand its operations and hire more office and administrative staff to support the company’s growth and geographic expansion rebounding from the pandemic.