Insee Première · July 2026 · n° 2123

Beverage serving activities from 2016 to 2023: more jobs, in slightly larger establishments

In 2023, the beverage serving activities gathered around 35,100 businesses, most of which were very small. They employed 69,000 full-time equivalent staff and 24,300 self‑employed workers.

The sector has been creating jobs since the mid-2010s: salaried employment rose by 66% between 2016 and 2023 in full-time equivalent terms, while self-employment fell slightly. This surge in salaried employment was driven primarily by the turnover of establishments. In a similar way, business activity, measured by turnover, increased sharply over the period (+87% in value terms). Profit margin fell, largely due to growth of incorporated companies at the expense of sole proprietorships.

The sector’s number of drinking premises per 10,000 inhabitants stood at 5.4 across the whole country. It was particularly high in tourist areas (15.5) and, to a lesser extent, in urban centres and non periurban rural areas. Conversely, more than three-quarters of rural municipalities had no drinking premises. Relative to population size, the number of salaried jobs was higher in urban areas than in rural areas, and employment growth was also stronger there. The average size of establishments increased regardless of the kind of area.