BenchmarklyAll benchmarks

Restaurant companies in the Ipswich area

353 restaurant companies have a registered office in the Ipswich area (IP postcodes), and 106 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £23,741 in cash and owed £44,219 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Licenced restaurants” (SIC 56101). Covers companies with a registered office in IP postcodes, including Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds.

The numbers

Restaurant companies in the Ipswich area (IP postcodes) compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureIpswichUK
Registered companies35354,142
Formed in 2025 or 2026106 (30%)27%
Being struck off or in liquidation51 (14%)21%
Typical cash at year end£23,74170 accounts£23,201
Typical amount owed at year end£44,219176 accounts£62,010
Typical number of employees5180 accounts6

What this means if you’re starting one

More of these companies are closing than in most trades

14% of restaurant companies in the Ipswich area (IP postcodes) are currently being struck off, against 6% of all companies there. Nationally that rate is higher than 96% of UK industries.

Closures run high here. It is a churn signal, not a survival rate, but it means the common failure points are worth learning before you start.

the Ipswich area (IP postcodes) has fewer of these businesses than most places

Restaurant companies are 0.62% of companies registered in the Ipswich area (IP postcodes), against 0.99% UK-wide (0.6× the national share).

That could be a gap or a sign of weak demand. The register cannot tell which.

At least a quarter of these companies owe more than they own

The lowest quarter of restaurant companies in the Ipswich area (IP postcodes) report net assets of -£5,220 or less; the median is £5,084 (167 filings).

Many operators are propped up by loans, unpaid bills or money from the owner rather than by profit kept in the business. It is easy to keep going for longer than the numbers justify.

Planning a business like this in Ipswich?

Answer two questions about your customer and what makes you different, and get a free three-week plan to test the idea before you spend real money. No account or card.

Check my idea

What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Restaurant in other places

Other businesses in Ipswich

All business benchmarks in Ipswich