Sales up in restaurants and drinking places in Canada

Ottawa – Sales in food services and drinking places rose 0.7 per cent to $6.1 billion in November, according to the most recent report from Statistics Canada. Sales were up in every province with the largest increases in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec.

Higher sales at full-service restaurants and special food services more than offset the declines in October. Sales at drinking places were up 0.5 per cent in November, while sales at limited-service restaurants edged down 0.2 per cent.

Sales were up in seven provinces in November, with the largest increases in Ontario (+1.2 per cent), British Columbia (+1.0 per cent) and Quebec (+0.7 per cent). Nova Scotia (-2.7 per cent), Alberta (-0.2 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (-3.0 per cent) were the only provinces reporting declines.

Statistics Canada’s web application, “Food Services and Drinking Places Sales,” provides access to information on the sales of food services and drinking places for Canada and by province and territory.

Unadjusted sales in the food services and drinking places subsector rose 5.6 per cent year over year in November. Sales rose at full-service restaurants (+6.2 per cent), limited-service restaurants (+4.6 per cent), special food services (+8.6 per cent) and drinking places (+4.4 per cent). Sales were up in every province, with the largest increases in Ontario (+5.4 per cent), British Columbia (+9.4 per cent) and Quebec (+6.0 per cent).

Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 4.1 per cent in November compared with November 2017, while prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments rose 3.4 per cent.