A Nashville-based outdoor hospitality operator has folded a quick-service food concept into its growing portfolio, signaling how food and beverage assets are becoming embedded components of the RV resort acquisition playbook. Streamside RV Resorts & Campgrounds has entered a long-term investment partnership with Chelly and Kevin Clayton covering four Townsend, Tennessee businesses: Little Arrow Outdoor Resort, Little Arrow Base Camp RV Park, River Rat Tubing & Rafting, and Burger Master. The deal brings Streamside's total footprint to 39 properties across 17 states with more than 4,400 RV and lodging sites.
The Food Angle
Burger Master, the Claytons' quick-service concept in Townsend, is the detail most relevant to restaurant and foodservice operators watching the outdoor hospitality sector. Resort operators have increasingly recognized that captive guest populations — families camping for multiple nights in destinations with limited nearby dining options — represent reliable, high-frequency food-and-beverage revenue. Bundling a burger counter into an RV resort acquisition is a natural extension of that logic, and it mirrors a broader trend in which campground and glamping operators are investing in on-site dining to reduce guest attrition and boost per-visit spend.
Ownership Structure
The deal is structured as a co-investment rather than a clean exit. The Clayton family will remain significant investors in the businesses, and day-to-day operations will continue under longtime local operators Carmen Simpher and Jay Moore. Kevin Clayton framed the arrangement as a capacity play. "As we looked to the future, we wanted a long-term partner who could help take them to the next level while sharing our commitment to our guests, our team members, and the Townsend community," he said. John Cascarano, Founder and CEO of Streamside, described the company's mandate as additive: "Our role is to build on that strong foundation and support their outstanding teams with additional resources, expertise, and sustained investment."
That structure — seller-retained equity, incumbent management, national platform resources — is emerging as a preferred model in outdoor hospitality M&A, where hyperlocal brand identity and repeat-visitor loyalty are core to asset value. For hospitality operators tracking ownership transitions, the arrangement avoids the brand disruption that can follow full-buyout deals.
Broader Context
Founded in 2023, Streamside has scaled rapidly, and this transaction marks its 38th and 39th properties. The company's portfolio spans two formats: signature resorts and its SteadyStays product, which caters to extended seasonal stays. The Great Smoky Mountains corridor, where Townsend sits, is one of the most visited outdoor recreation regions in the United States, making the cluster of Little Arrow properties and associated businesses a strategically logical acquisition for a operator building scale on the East Coast. Chelly Clayton noted the family remains active in adjacent Townsend ventures including Company Distilling, Vee Hollow Mountain Bike Park, and Salubrious Farms, suggesting the region continues to attract hospitality investment beyond the core camping segment.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
