UK SIC 2007 · 56102
Unlicenced restaurants and cafes
Unlicenced restaurants and cafes is UK SIC code 56102, part of division 56 (Food and beverage service activities) in the SIC 2007 classification. As of the July 2026 Companies House register, 43,622 active UK companies list 56102 among their SIC codes, and 37,442 list it as their first code. That makes it the third most used code in its division.
As of the July 2026 Companies House register, 43,622 active UK companies list 56102 among their SIC codes (37,442 as their first code).
Companies House data refreshed daily. Page reviewed July 2026.
Division 56: Food and beverage service activities
Serving food and drink for immediate consumption defines division 56, the registration home of the UK's hospitality trade. Takeaways and mobile food stands under 56103 form the biggest single group, followed by restaurants, split by alcohol licence into 56101 for licenced venues and 56102 for unlicenced restaurants and cafes. Pubs and bars register under 56302, event caterers under 56210, and 56290 collects other food services such as contract catering and delivery-only kitchens. Because the codes track licensing and format, they reveal a surprising amount about how each business actually operates.
Hospitality's high churn and constant supply needs make it one of the most prospected sectors on the register. Food and drink wholesalers, EPOS and card payment providers, delivery platform sales teams, utility brokers, insurance intermediaries and commercial kitchen fitters all mine these codes, alongside accountants offering payroll and tronc support. A new incorporation typically means a site opening within months, the ideal window for fit-out, systems and supplier deals. The no-website flag is rife among takeaways and cafes, handing web designers and booking platforms an obvious first conversation.
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Where SIC 56102 clusters in the UK
About SIC 56102
How many UK companies use SIC code 56102?
43,622 active UK companies include 56102 (Unlicenced restaurants and cafes) among their up-to-four registered SIC codes, of which 37,442 list it first. Figures are from the July 2026 Companies House register snapshot, counting active companies only.
Is my cafe 56101 or 56102?
The split is purely about alcohol. If the venue holds a premises licence and serves alcohol with meals, it belongs under 56101, licenced restaurants. Cafes, coffee shops and restaurants without an alcohol licence use 56102. Nothing stops you changing the code on a confirmation statement if you later obtain a licence, and Companies House applies no check.
Which code should a food truck or mobile caterer use?
56103 explicitly covers mobile food stands as well as takeaway shops, so street food trucks trading with the public usually register there. If the business mainly caters pre-booked private and corporate events, 56210, event catering activities, is the better fit. Many operators do both and simply hold the two codes together, which the four-code limit comfortably allows.
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