The catering industry is an important part of a country's commodity retail industry. It mainly provides social life services for the development of the national economy, and its status and role are mainly manifested in the following aspects.

(1) Catering is an important part of the six elements of tourism

Food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping and entertainment are the six elements of tourism. Vigorously develop international and domestic tourism, have assistants to strengthen international and domestic economic and cultural exchanges, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between countries and ethnic groups; It is helpful for China to absorb foreign exchange and promote the development of national economy; It also helps to increase employment and meet the growing material and spiritual needs of the domestic people. With the continuous development of China's tourism; A large number of tourists from home and abroad come for sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, engaging in scientific investigations, etc. At the same time, they need to taste exotic food flavors and appreciate local customs. The catering industry provides them with catering products with unique flavor, beautiful environment and excellent service, which can not only meet the needs of guests, but also its superb cooking art and unique catering products are the crystallization of catering culture, which can also become tourism resources and attract tourists from home and abroad.

(2) The catering industry is an important industry to invigorate the economy, prosper the market and promote the development of related industries

The development scale, speed and level of the catering industry often directly reflect the economic prosperity and market activity of a country or region. It is an important embodiment of the rapid improvement of national income and people's living standards and the profound changes in consumption patterns and consumption structures. At the same time, the rapid development of catering industry needs the national economy to provide infrastructure, production technology and equipment, supplies and various food raw materials, which will inevitably promote the development of light industry, construction, decoration, transportation, food raw materials and non-staple food production and other related industries.

(3) The catering industry is an important service industry to create social wealth and realize national income redistribution

The catering industry uses catering equipment and technology. By processing and manufacturing food raw materials, the value of products can be increased. In the process of creating a socially rich foreign-related catering industry to serve overseas tourists, it can generate foreign exchange and convert the national income of other countries into the national income of China. Characteristic catering industry serves domestic tourists, local residents and various enterprises and institutions at the same time. Being in the process of national income redistribution, it can withdraw a large amount of money, thus playing a positive role in promoting the development of the national economy.

(4) The catering industry is an important industry to promote changes in social consumption patterns and consumption structures and expand employment.

Human food consumption is mainly carried out in families, work units and social catering services. The more developed the economy, the higher the national income level, the more frequent people's off-duty communication activities and the higher the socialization of housework, the more it can promote the development of the catering industry. The rapid development of catering industry has created conditions for people's social food consumption, which can reduce people's housework and promote the change of their consumption mode and consumption structure. At the same time, the development of catering industry has provided employment opportunities for a large number of people, which has become one of the important ways to solve the employment of employees and the re-employment of laid-off workers in China. So far, the number of employees in China's catering industry has reached about 21 million. In the future, with the development of China's catering industry, more and more people will be provided with employment opportunities.

(5) Catering industry is an important industry to introduce and publicize Chinese food culture to domestic and foreign guests

In modern society, catering in a country has become an important tourism resource to attract international tourists. China's food culture and culinary arts are profound, long-standing and world-renowned, and have become one of the factors that attract many foreign guests to visit China. As an important part of the catering industry, hotel catering departments and social high-end restaurants shoulder the heavy responsibility of carrying forward China's catering culture and tapping China's tourism resources.