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Canteen’s Balanced Choices delivers two... |
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| Canteen The Vending Company of Nascar... |
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| Canteen Refreshment Services... |
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In July 1929, Nathaniel Leverone and two partners founded the Canteen Vending Company.
Starting
with 100 five-cent candy bar machines, he incorporated the organization
as Chicago Automatic Canteen Corporation. An industry visionary,
Leverone saw opportunity
in legitimizing vending at a time when machines were unreliable and
very closely associated with gambling devices and dishonest practices.
His business strategy focused on three timeless principles; integrity,
innovation, and customer focus. Leverone’s ideals created a new
industry. It’s a proud heritage that’s still packing a punch.
Today, Canteen is the world’s largest vending company serving over five
million customers every day through 18,500 client sites.
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During
its first decade, Canteen learned from competitors' mistakes and built
the company on three fundamental operating principles:
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| 1. |
VENDORS "Every Canteen machine must be honest and efficient. It must
return the customer's coin if empty, and it must be ready for the
customer to operate." |
| 2. |
PRODUCTS
"Every confection sold through a Canteen Vending machine must be fresh
and full weight-a standard value, identical in quality and quantity
with the offering of the best retail counter." |
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SERVICE "Canteen service must give full satisfaction to the customer and conform to the highest standards at all times."
These principles are as relevant today as they were in 1930, the year
the company re-incorporated as Automatic Canteen Company of America.
Canteen spent the remainder of the 1930s diversifying its product line
and establishing 15 franchised distributors. Today, many of those
original distributors still operate successful franchises with the same
owners or their heirs. |
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During
the 1940s, franchising expanded dramatically and foodservice
contracting grew as well. New contracts included four General Motors
plants and the Oak Ridge Project, where Canteen served 17,000 meals per
day. By 1946, Canteen was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Canteen also capitalized on the popularity of a new workplace trend-the
coffee break. Thanks to Canteen, workers could enjoy fresh,
full-flavored coffee from convenient vending machines. |
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The
1950s brought rapid growth for Canteen and its distribution network.
Canteen acquired Rowe Manufacturing and entered into a joint venture
with Nationwide Food Service, a company operated by Nathaniel
Leverone's brother.
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During
the '60s, Canteen merged with Nationwide FoodService. The merger
enabled Canteen to enhance service to the "at-work" market. To reflect
its diversification into food service, Automatic Canteen Company of
America changed its name to Canteen Corporation in 1966. Two years
later, Canteen became a subsidiary of International Telephone &
Telegraph (ITT). In 1969, Canteen employees mourned the passing of
company founder Nathaniel Leverone. |
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| The
1970s brought continued growth and dramatic changes to Canteen.
Hospital and campus contracts brought significant growth to Canteen's
broadening complement of foodservices. By 1973, ITT divested, and TWA
acquired Canteen. Eventually Canteen bought back many of its
distributors, and obtained TWA from its parent company. In doing so,
the company became a concessionaire to numerous national parks and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). |
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| Canteen
continued its evolution through the 1980s, primarily through strategic
acquisitions. With the addition of Interstate United, Consolidated Coin
Caterers Corporation, and Spartan Foods, Canteen broadened its quality
and diversification in the marketplace. |
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In
the early '90s, Canteen focused on its core traditional dining center
business. The company also targeted new non-traditional and
institutional contract accounts. That strategic move into new markets
earned Canteen foodservice accounts in schools, healthcare facilities,
retirement centers, correctional institutions, colleges, and
universities. Canteen's evolution took another dramatic turn in 1994.
Compass Group PLC, one of Europe's leading food service management
companies, acquired Canteen in June 1994 and moved its headquarters to
Charlotte, North Carolina. The partnership has made Compass Group one
of the world's largest food service companies, and it has enabled
Canteen to fortify its market leadership with professional management,
stability, and segmentation.
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| Now
Canteen is working to bring vending into the next millennium with
investments in technology, updated equipment and our most important
asset our people. |
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