Cold email software for corporate caterers
Acqro gives corporate catering companies cold email that researches each prospect's company before writing. Below: verified federal data on the industry across all 50 states, the buyers it sells to, and a playbook for outreach that earns replies.
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How many corporate caterers are in the United States?
The United States had 13,222 establishments in NAICS 722320, caterers, in 2023, employing 148,684 people. The largest markets by establishments were California, New York and Florida. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
Corporate caterers in the US by the numbers
- US establishments
- 13,222+1.3% vs 2022Census CBP 2023, NAICS 722320
- Paid employees
- 148,684Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $30,873Census CBP 2023
- Firms under 10 employees
- 71.9%Census CBP 2023
- Largest state
- CaliforniaBy establishments, CBP 2023
Census does not publish a separate category for corporate catering companies; figures use NAICS 722320, Caterers, the closest official industry. 71.9% of establishments have fewer than 10 employees, so most firms in the industry run outbound with a founder or a very small sales team. The 3,686 firms with 10 to 249 employees are the ones most likely to be building a repeatable outbound process.
The five largest states hold 42.8% of all establishments. Among states with at least 100 establishments, the fastest growth between 2022 and 2023 was in North Carolina (+8.9%), Washington (+5.2%) and Wisconsin (+4.5%). Growing markets bring new competitors and new buyers at the same time, which rewards outreach that is specific rather than volume-driven.
Corporate caterers by state
All states and DC ranked by number of establishments, with the change since 2022.
| Rank | State | Establishments | Employees | Change vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,961 | 22,524 | +1.1% |
| 2 | New York | 1,266 | 17,935 | +4.2% |
| 3 | Florida | 993 | 8,208 | +3.2% |
| 4 | Texas | 866 | 8,463 | +1.9% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 579 | 6,150 | +1.6% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 533 | 7,628 | −0.6% |
| 7 | Illinois | 513 | 6,537 | +1.8% |
| 8 | Ohio | 490 | 5,431 | +2.9% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 436 | 5,971 | +1.9% |
| 10 | Georgia | 383 | 3,547 | −1.0% |
| 11 | North Carolina | 356 | 3,713 | +8.9% |
| 12 | Michigan | 346 | 4,240 | −2.3% |
| 13 | Washington | 304 | 3,402 | +5.2% |
| 14 | Virginia | 286 | 4,187 | +2.5% |
| 15 | Maryland | 283 | 3,887 | −1.4% |
| 16 | Colorado | 268 | 2,780 | −6.0% |
| 17 | Indiana | 217 | 2,587 | +0.9% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 208 | 1,980 | +4.5% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 200 | 2,507 | +2.6% |
| 20 | Missouri | 193 | 2,226 | −5.9% |
| 21 | Tennessee | 190 | 2,099 | −1.6% |
| 22 | Louisiana | 189 | 2,162 | −3.1% |
| 23 | Connecticut | 183 | 2,247 | +0.5% |
| 24 | Arizona | 177 | 2,375 | +1.7% |
| 25 | South Carolina | 165 | 1,866 | +1.2% |
| 26 | Oregon | 143 | 1,549 | −9.5% |
| 27 | Utah | 118 | 1,081 | −2.5% |
| 28 | Nevada | 109 | 1,029 | −0.9% |
| 29 | Kentucky | 104 | 1,559 | −8.0% |
| 30 | Alabama | 87 | 525 | +1.2% |
| 31 | Iowa | 86 | 564 | +8.9% |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 78 | 924 | −1.3% |
| 33 | Hawaii | 74 | 572 | +7.2% |
| 34 | Kansas | 74 | 812 | +4.2% |
| 35 | Maine | 70 | 346 | +7.7% |
| 36 | New Hampshire | 69 | 471 | +1.5% |
| 37 | Nebraska | 62 | 708 | 0.0% |
| 38 | Mississippi | 60 | 365 | +1.7% |
| 39 | Montana | 57 | 160 | 0.0% |
| 40 | Idaho | 55 | 303 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Rhode Island | 52 | 501 | −5.5% |
| 42 | District of Columbia | 48 | 710 | +9.1% |
| 43 | Vermont | 48 | 267 | −2.0% |
| 44 | Arkansas | 42 | 393 | −6.7% |
| 45 | New Mexico | 38 | 249 | −7.3% |
| 46 | Wyoming | 36 | 225 | +5.9% |
| 47 | Delaware | 33 | 273 | +6.5% |
| 48 | West Virginia | 28 | 116 | −3.4% |
| 49 | Alaska | 27 | 137 | +42.1% |
| 50 | South Dakota | 20 | 97 | +5.3% |
| 51 | North Dakota | 19 | 96 | +5.6% |
Who corporate caterers sell to
Common buyer industries for corporate catering companies, with US establishment counts and how many have 10 to 249 employees.
| Buyer industry | Establishments | 10–249 employees | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 145,813 | 23,398 | 2,050,626 |
| Legal Services | 181,092 | 23,511 | 1,190,297 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 5,777 | 1,597 | 5,815,843 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 225,945 | 22,061 | 1,736,343 |
How corporate caterers should run cold email
Corporate catering companies sell office meals, event catering and recurring food programmes for workplaces. These are the contacts, triggers and messages that make a first email relevant rather than generic.
Who to email
- Office manager or workplace experience lead
- Executive assistant
- HR or people team lead
- Event or facilities manager
Signals worth researching
- Return-to-office policies
- New office openings
- Company events and all-hands meetings
- Rapid hiring
What to say
- Reference office openings or return-to-office changes
- Make ordering sound easy
- Offer a trial lunch for one team
What to avoid
- Menu attachments on first contact
- Holiday-season blasts without context
Cold email for corporate caterers, answered
How many corporate caterers are there in the US?
There were 13,222 establishments in NAICS 722320 (Caterers) in 2023, employing 148,684 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Which states have the most corporate caterers?
By establishments in 2023: California (1,961), New York (1,266), Florida (993), Texas (866) and Pennsylvania (579). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Who books corporate catering?
Office managers, executive assistants and workplace experience teams book most recurring catering. HR and event managers book for company events.
What is a good trigger for catering outreach?
Return-to-office announcements, new offices and growing teams. These create recurring food needs and a new decision about who provides them.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Corporate Caterers by state
Other industries
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
- Industry definition: NAICS 722320, Caterers, used as the closest official category for corporate catering companies.
Built for corporate caterers who sell to a finite list
Acqro researches every account on your list and writes the first email from what it finds.
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