Five Star Food Service announced today that it has acquired Rawls Distributing, a Canteen franchise based in Savannah, GA. The acquisition expands the convenience services provider's territory to the east and north along Georgia’s coast from its nearby locations in Brunswick and Douglas. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Rawls Distributing was founded in 1976 as a Tom’s Foods franchise by brothers Robin and Kevin Rawls. Robin assumed sole ownership when Kevin died in 1995. Since 2006, Rawls Distributing has been a member of the Canteen franchise group. In June 2021, the unexpected death of Robin set into motion plans for the family to sell the company, cementing the his legacy.
“We are grateful to be establishing ourselves in Savannah and the coastal Georgia region. Robin and the team at Rawls Distributing built a successful business with strong values and community relationships,” said Five Star president and chief executive Richard Kennedy. “The addition of the Rawls’ business is an excellent complement to our operations in south Georgia.”
Five Star senior operations vice president, Mark Stephanos, added, “As industry peers and neighboring Canteen franchises, we had gotten to know Robin over the years. Our team was saddened to hear of his untimely passing. We are very honored to have the opportunity to carry forward the success of his business.”
Separately, Five Star's leadership team recently visited coastal Georgia’s food bank, making an introductory investment in the community with a donation from the company’s Feeding the Future nonprofit. With the gift, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia will be able to provide more than 14,000 meals to local families.
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, Five Star Food Service is also a franchise of Canteen, a Compass Group company.. Five Star provides away-from-home food and beverage retail solutions for employers and other commercial, institutional and educational locations. The company operates in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee.
