722310 Food Service Contractors

Official definition

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing food services at institutional, governmental, commercial, or industrial locations of others based on contractual arrangements with these types of organizations for a specified period of time. The establishments of this industry provide food services for the convenience of the contracting organization or the contracting organization's customers. The contractual arrangement of these establishments with contracting organizations may vary by type of facility operated (e.g., cafeteria, restaurant, fast-food eating place), revenue sharing, cost structure, and personnel provided. Management staff is always provided by food service contractors.

Examples Census gives

• Airline food service contractors
• Food concession contractors (e.g., at sporting, entertainment, convention facilities)
• Cafeteria food service contractors (e.g., at schools, hospitals, government offices)

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS descriptions.

When to use a different code

Census classifies these close-sounding activities somewhere else. Businesses mainly engaged in:

• Providing food services on a single-event basis are classified in Industry 722320, Caterers.
• Supplying and servicing food vending machines are classified in U.S. Industry 445132, Vending Machine Operators.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS cross-references.

Businesses that use this code

• Catering business

Activities listed under 722310

The Census index assigns these 9 activities to this code. If your business matches one, this is your code.

• Airline food services contractors
• Cafeteria food services contractors (e.g., government office cafeterias, hospital cafeterias, school cafeterias)
• Food concession contractors (e.g., convention facilities, entertainment facilities, sporting facilities)
• Food service contractors, airline
• Food service contractors, cafeteria
• Food service contractors, concession operators (e.g., convention facilities, entertainment facilities, sporting facilities)
• Food service contractors, industrial
• Food service contractors, institutional
• Industrial caterers (i.e., providing food services on a contractual arrangement (except single-event basis))

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS index file.

SBA size standard for 722310

To count as a small business for SBA loans and federal contracts under NAICS 722310, your business (including affiliates) must not exceed $47 million in average annual receipts. Check your business.

Source: SBA table of size standards, effective March 17, 2023.

Closest UK SIC 2007 codes

There is no official one-to-one link between NAICS and UK SIC. These codes share the same international class (ISIC Rev. 4: 5629), so treat them as a starting point and check the definition.

• 56290Other food servicesUK SIC

Built from Census concordances 2022→2017 NAICS and 2017 NAICS→ISIC Rev. 4.

Similar codes to compare

• 722320Caterers
• 722330Mobile Food Services