Compare the activity, then the code
NAICS Code for Restaurants
Classify the establishment’s main food-service format. Seated service, counter ordering, buffet equipment and a snack or beverage focus can lead to different restaurant industries.
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
The activity changes the answer
Which work does the business primarily do?
Compare the service or product itself. The business name alone does not settle the classification.
Full-Service Restaurants
Patrons order and are served while seated, and pay after eating.
Check the boundaryCarryout, alcoholic beverages and live nontheatrical entertainment can accompany the full-service model. None of those features alone changes the industry.
Read the official definitionLimited-Service Restaurants
Patrons generally order or select meals and pay before eating; the food may be eaten there, taken out or delivered.
Check the boundaryCafeterias and buffets, mobile food services, and snack or nonalcoholic beverage bars have separate classifications. Payment before eating is not a rule for every food business.
Read the official definitionCafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets
Meals are prepared and served using cafeteria-style or buffet equipment, with a continuous line or buffet stations.
Check the boundaryA buffet has its own industry even when customers select items themselves and pay before eating. Do not fold it into limited-service solely because of payment timing.
Read the official definitionSnack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
A fixed-location establishment mainly prepares or serves a specialty snack or nonalcoholic beverage for consumption on or near the premises.
Check the boundaryA coffee-focused shop with on-premise brewing differs from a meal-focused restaurant. Food sold from mobile vehicles instead leads to the mobile-food comparison.
Read the official definitionTake the candidates into the Finder
Open the official records side by side and download a source-backed shortlist.
When to investigate another classification
These activity differences take the comparison beyond the starting candidates.
Food service at another organization under an ongoing contract
722310 · Food Service ContractorsCompare specified-period contractual food service at institutional, governmental, commercial or industrial locations. A one-off catered event is a different activity.
Census recordFood service for a single event
722320 · CaterersWedding receptions, parties and similar single-event services belong in the catering comparison. The definition also includes banquet halls with catering staff.
Census recordMeals or snacks served from a vehicle or cart
722330 · Mobile Food ServicesCompare mobile immediate-consumption food services. A fixed-location restaurant offering delivery is not a food truck merely because meals leave the premises.
Census recordA drinking place mainly serving alcohol
722410 · Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)Bars, taverns and nightclubs primarily preparing and serving alcoholic beverages have their own industry. A restaurant can sell alcohol without becoming a drinking place.
Census recordAn independent company takes restaurant orders and delivers meals
492210 · Local Messengers and Local DeliveryThe restaurant’s own delivery service and a separate order-and-delivery establishment are different jobs. The restaurant cross-references name the independent service explicitly.
Census recordFollow the decisive activity
Worked classification examples
Illustrative businesses for comparison, rather than individual filing advice.
A table-service pizza restaurant also offers carryout
Patrons order and are served while seated and pay after eating. Carryout does not by itself erase the full-service model.
Compare 722511 · Full-Service RestaurantsA pizza shop mainly prepares meals for delivery or takeout
Pizza delivery shops and takeout eating places are illustrative limited-service examples.
Compare 722513 · Limited-Service RestaurantsCustomers select meals at buffet stations and pay first
Buffet serving equipment and the food-service format decide this case, not the pay-first clue alone.
Compare 722514 · Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and BuffetsA fixed coffee shop brews coffee and sells drinks for immediate consumption
Coffee shops with on-premise brewing are explicit examples of the snack and nonalcoholic beverage industry.
Compare 722515 · Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage BarsA vendor prepares lunches from a food truck for walk-up customers
The meals are prepared and served from a mobile vehicle for immediate consumption.
Compare 722330 · Mobile Food ServicesA caterer supplies meals and staff for a wedding reception
The engagement is single event-based food service.
Compare 722320 · CaterersAn operator supplies management staff and cafeteria food service at a school under contract
Food service at another organization for a specified contractual period differs from a stand-alone buffet or one-event caterer.
Compare 722310 · Food Service ContractorsA tavern mainly serves alcoholic beverages and offers limited food
The drinking-place activity is primary; limited food can accompany it.
Compare 722410 · Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)Read the classification behind the comparison
Official definitions and hierarchy
The wording below is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 records. Activity explanations above are from BiznTools.
722511Full-Service Restaurants
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated (i.e., waiter/waitress service) and pay after eating. These establishments may provide this type of food service to patrons in combination with selling alcoholic beverages, providing carryout services, or presenting live nontheatrical entertainment.
Open 722511 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 72Accommodation and Food Services
- 722Food Services and Drinking Places
- 7225Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 72251Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 722511Full-Service Restaurants
Selected official activity phrases
- Bagel shops, full service
- Brew pub restaurants, primarily serving meals, full service
- Diners, full service
- Doughnut shops, full service
- Family restaurants, full service
- Fine dining restaurants, full service
- Full service restaurants
- Pizza parlors, full service
Official cross-references
- Providing food services where patrons generally order or select items and pay before eating, other than mobile food services, cafeterias, grill buffets, buffets, and snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars--are classified in U.S. Industry 722513, Limited-Service Restaurants;
- Preparing and serving meals for immediate consumption using cafeteria-style or buffet serving equipment, known as cafeterias, grill buffets, or buffets--are classified in U.S. Industry 722514, Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets;
- Selling a specialty snack (e.g., ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, popcorn) or nonalcoholic beverage, except from mobile vehicles, for consumption on or near the premises--are classified in U.S. Industry 722515, Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars;
- Preparing and serving alcoholic beverages and known as bars, taverns, or nightclubs--are classified in Industry 722410, Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages);
- Operating a civic or social association with a restaurant for their members--are classified in Industry 813410, Civic and Social Organizations;
- Presenting live theatrical productions and providing food and beverages for consumption on the premises--are classified in Industry 711110, Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters; and
- Restaurant meals order and delivery services (i.e., independent order and delivery services)--are classified in Industry 492210, Local Messengers and Local Delivery.
722513Limited-Service Restaurants
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing food services (except snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) where patrons generally order or select items and pay before eating. Food and drink may be consumed on premises, taken out, or delivered to the customer's location. Some establishments in this industry may provide these food services in combination with selling alcoholic beverages. Illustrative Examples: Delicatessen restaurants Pizza delivery shops Family restaurants, limited-service Takeout eating places Fast-food restaurants Fast casual restaurants Takeout sandwich shops Limited-service pizza parlors
Open 722513 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 72Accommodation and Food Services
- 722Food Services and Drinking Places
- 7225Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 72251Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 722513Limited-Service Restaurants
Selected official activity phrases
- Cafes, limited-service
- Carryout restaurants
- Delicatessen restaurants
- Diners, limited-service
- Drive-in restaurants
- Family restaurants, limited-service
- Fast casual restaurants
- Fast-food restaurants
Official cross-references
- Preparing and serving meals for immediate consumption using cafeteria-style serving equipment, known as cafeterias--are classified in U.S. Industry 722514, Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets;
- Providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated and pay after eating--are classified in U.S. Industry 722511, Full-Service Restaurants;
- Selling a specialty snack (e.g., ice cream, frozen yogurt, candy, cookies) or nonalcoholic beverage, except from mobile vehicles, for consumption on or near the premises--are classified in U.S. Industry 722515, Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars;
- Retailing confectionery goods and nuts not packaged for immediate consumption--are classified in U.S. Industry 445292, Confectionery and Nut Retailers;
- Retailing baked goods (e.g., pretzels, doughnuts, cookies, and bagels) not baked on the premises and not for immediate consumption--are classified in U.S. Industry 445291, Baked Goods Retailers;
- Preparing and serving alcoholic beverages, known as bars, taverns, or nightclubs--are classified in Industry 722410, Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages); and
- Restaurant meals order and delivery services (i.e., independent order and delivery services)--are classified in Industry 492210, Local Messengers and Local Delivery.
722514Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This U.S. industry comprises establishments, known as cafeterias, grill buffets, or buffets, primarily engaged in preparing and serving meals for immediate consumption using cafeteria-style or buffet serving equipment, such as steam tables, refrigerated areas, display grills, and self-service nonalcoholic beverage dispensing equipment. Patrons select from food and drink items on display in a continuous cafeteria line or from buffet stations.
Open 722514 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 72Accommodation and Food Services
- 722Food Services and Drinking Places
- 7225Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 72251Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 722514Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets
Selected official activity phrases
- Buffet eating places
- Cafeterias
Official cross-references
- Providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated and pay after eating--are classified in U.S. Industry 722511, Full-Service Restaurants;
- Providing food services where patrons generally order or select items and pay before eating, other than mobile food services, cafeterias, grill buffets, buffets, and snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars--are classified in U.S. Industry 722513, Limited-Service Restaurants; and
- Selling a specialty snack (e.g., ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, popcorn) or nonalcoholic beverage, except from mobile vehicles, for consumption on or near the premises--are classified in U.S. Industry 722515, Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars.
722515Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in (1) preparing and/or serving a specialty snack, such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, or popcorn, or (2) serving nonalcoholic beverages, such as coffee, juices, or sodas for consumption on or near the premises. These establishments may carry and sell a combination of snack, nonalcoholic beverage, and other related products (e.g., coffee beans, mugs, coffee makers) but generally promote and sell a unique snack or nonalcoholic beverage. Illustrative Examples: Beverage bars, nonalcoholic, fixed location Doughnut shops, on premise baking and carryout service Bagel shops, on premise baking and carryout service Pretzel shops, on premise baking and carryout service Cookie shops, on premise baking and carryout service Coffee shops, on premise brewing Ice cream parlors Juice bars, nonalcoholic, fixed location
Open 722515 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 72Accommodation and Food Services
- 722Food Services and Drinking Places
- 7225Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 72251Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- 722515Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
Selected official activity phrases
- Bagel shops, on premise baking and carryout service
- Bakery cafes, on premise baking and selling for immediate consumption
- Beverage (e.g., coffee, juice, soft drink) bars, nonalcoholic, fixed location
- Canteens, fixed location
- Coffee shops, on premise brewing
- Confectionery snack shops, made on premises with carryout services
- Cookie shops, on premise baking and carryout service
- Doughnut shops, on premise baking and carryout service
Official cross-references
- Selling one or more of the following food specialties (except from mobile vehicles): hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, chicken, specialty cuisines--are classified based on the type of food service provided to patrons;
- Preparing and serving snacks and nonalcoholic beverages from mobile vehicles for immediate consumption--are classified in Industry 722330, Mobile Food Services; and
- Operating as street vendors (except food) or retailing food (except food prepared and served for immediate consumption)--are classified in Sector 44-45, Retail Trade.
Check the original source files
Definitions, titles, activity phrases and exclusions come from the same 2022 U.S. edition.