Four Generations of Foodservice Excellence

The Hays family has deep roots in the food industry.

Scott’s grandfather, Thomas Hays, owned and operated a dairy business in the late 1930’s, which supplied dairy products to his own dairy stores and independent supermarkets.

Scott’s father, Gene Hays, began a relationship with Giles Enterprises in the 1950’s, as a manufacturer and distributor in Illinois. Gene owned and operated a blending facility that manufactured Hol’n One Donut mixes, powdered icings, chicken breadings and seasonings. Products were supplied to donut shops, supermarkets, dairy stores and snack bars throughout Illinois.

Scott Hays began working in the blending facility in the early 1970’s and became Vice President of Sales in 1976. After an expansion that brought the company into Missouri, Scott moved to O’Fallon, Missouri with his wife, Penny, in 1978 to manage operations there. That same year, the company added Chester Fried Chicken to its program offerings and continued the long family relationship with Giles Enterprises. This relationship has proven to be a successful building block for the company’s future.

In 1984, Scott changed the name of the company to Hays Food Systems, Inc. and continued offering its retail business partners strong product offerings, such as Chester’s and Giles Foodservice Equipment—all while continuing to provide the superior service the Hays family has become known for. Hays quickly grew into a regional provider of food programs for the convenience and grocery store market. Demand for its successful programs ushered in an expansion into Kansas and southern Illinois.

In 2002, Scott & Penny’s sons, Brandon & Matthew, joined the business, Brandon working in the sales field, and Matthew working in warehouse operations. Due to continued growth, Hays built a new food service distribution and training facility in Warrenton, Missouri in 2006. This facility now serves as the company headquarters, which features fully operational set-ups of a Chester’s and an Ashby’s Ice Cream parlor—each of which are used for seminars and training.

Hays currently serves hundreds of convenience stores and supermarket retailers throughout the Midwest. We will continue to responsibly grow our company by continuing to offer nationally recognized branded food programs, such as Chester’s and Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream, along with Giles Foodservice Equipment

Because we back this offering with Hays’ unique and comprehensive training and support services, we are confident that Hays can be a key ingredient in the success of our retail partners!