The Restaurant Industry in Context

Official figures describe a wider sector than restaurants alone. Defra reports £46.1 billion of gross value added in UK non-residential catering in 2024, while Great Britain had 1.953 million employees in that sector in 2025. This category includes restaurants, cafés, bars, canteens and catering businesses, so these totals should not be presented as restaurant-only figures.

Key Facts & Figures

  • £46.1 billion: UK non-residential catering gross value added in 2024
  • SIC 56: the food and beverage service category used for these sector figures
  • 1.953 million: employees in Great Britain’s non-residential catering sector in 2025
  • 1.984 million: the corresponding employee total in 2024
  • £151.4 billion: UK expenditure on food and drink eaten out in 2025, at current prices
  • £141.6 billion: equivalent expenditure in 2024, at current prices
  • £137.7 billion: 2025 eating-out expenditure measured at constant 2023 prices
  • 4.1%: annual CPI inflation for restaurants and hotels in August 2026
  • 1.3%: annual food and non-alcoholic drink CPI inflation in August 2026
  • 55% checked a food hygiene rating in the previous year in FSA Wave 11
  • 92% had seen a food hygiene rating sticker in that survey
  • 0 to 5: the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme’s six ratings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
  • 14 allergen groups: information is required when these are used as ingredients
  • 28 days: register a new food business at least this long before opening

The Structure of the UK Restaurant Sector

Restaurants operate alongside other food service businesses. Official sector totals combine several formats:

  • Independent restaurants: individual businesses with their own menus, purchasing arrangements and operating costs.
  • Quick-service restaurants: businesses organised around rapid ordering and service.
  • Casual dining: table-service businesses whose performance depends on their own customer base, costs and location.
  • Cafés, bars and caterers: included in the wider non-residential catering statistics, alongside restaurants.
  • Delivery-only kitchens: food businesses whose meals are supplied without a customer dining room.

Costs and Operating Pressures

Price statistics give useful context for budgets, but do not establish an individual restaurant’s costs, profit margin or likelihood of closure.

  • Consumer prices: restaurant and hotel CPI prices rose 4.1% over the year to August 2026; this is a broader category than restaurants alone.
  • Individual businesses: assess actual sales, rent, purchasing and staffing costs rather than applying a single assumed industry margin.
  • Energy: contracts and usage vary; no universal share of restaurant operating costs applies.
  • Employment: the official employee count covers the wider sector and does not measure staff turnover or all self-employed workers.
  • Food prices: the food and non-alcoholic drink CPI index was about 40.3% higher in August 2026 than in November 2020, despite slower annual inflation.
  • Real and cash spending: current-price expenditure reflects price changes as well as purchasing; use constant-price figures when comparing spending volumes.

Food Safety in the Restaurant Sector

Food safety is non-negotiable in the restaurant industry:

  • Food safety law: the Food Safety Act 1990 is part of the framework in Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own food safety legislation.
  • Food safety management: businesses must have procedures based on HACCP principles. The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 apply in England, with separate enforcement legislation elsewhere.
  • Cross-contamination: separate raw and ready-to-eat food and manage allergen cross-contact through suitable procedures.
  • Temperature control: use appropriate storage, cooking, cooling and holding controls for the food and process.
  • Hygiene: keep premises and equipment clean, manage pests and maintain staff hygiene.
  • Allergen information: requirements apply to the 14 regulated ingredient-allergen groups. The October 2021 PPDS change added full ingredient lists with allergens emphasised for food prepacked for direct sale; allergen duties already existed for other food.
  • Staff instruction: food handlers need supervision, instruction or training appropriate to their work, with procedures maintained when staff or menus change.
  • Online Level 2 Training: Flexible, online Level 2 Food Hygiene training helps restaurants meet compliance requirements efficiently

Written by Food Safety Experts

This article was created by the team at Level 2 Food Hygiene, dedicated to promoting food safety and public health across the UK. For more on food waste in hospitality, see our food waste statistics guide.

Sources & References

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Mark McShane
Mark McShane
Health & Safety Training Specialist, Online CPD Academy

Mark writes about food safety, food hygiene and accredited online training for Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate, part of Online CPD Academy.