Division 56 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 7 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
Division 56 is about serving food and drink to eat now. It is the home of the UK hospitality trade. Takeaways and mobile food stands under 56103 form the biggest single group. Restaurants come next, split by alcohol licence. Licenced venues use 56101, and unlicenced restaurants and cafes use 56102. Pubs and bars register under 56302. Event caterers use 56210. Code 56290 collects other food services, such as contract catering and delivery-only kitchens. The codes track licensing and format, so they say a lot about how each business really runs.
Hospitality churns fast and buys supplies constantly. That makes it one of the most worked 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. Accountants add payroll and tronc support. A new incorporation usually means a site opening within months. That is the window for fit-out, systems and supplier deals. Websites are weak across takeaways and cafes, so the poor-website filter gives web designers and booking platforms an obvious first conversation.
56101, Licensed restaurants56102, Unlicenced restaurants and cafes56103, Take-away food shops and mobile food stands56210, Event catering activities56290, Other food services56301, Licenced clubs56302, Public houses and barsThe split is purely about alcohol. If the venue holds a premises licence and serves alcohol with meals, use 56101, licenced restaurants. Cafes, coffee shops and restaurants with no alcohol licence use 56102. If you get a licence later, change the code on a confirmation statement. Companies House applies no check.
Code 56103 covers mobile food stands as well as takeaway shops. Street food trucks selling to the public usually register there. If you mainly cater pre-booked private and corporate events, 56210, event catering activities, fits better. Many operators do both and hold the two codes together. The four-code limit leaves plenty of room.
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