Food services and drinking places

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Current dollar total sales for the food services and drinking places industry increased 0.5% from the previous month to just over $4.0 billion in May.

The price of food purchased in restaurants rose 0.1% between April and May, according to the Consumer Price Index.

In May, three of the four sectors in the industry posted gains in sales compared with April. The largest increase was observed in the special food services sector (+1.8%), which comprises food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services.

Sales at full-service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for meals at their table, increased 1.0%, while sales at drinking places were up 0.2%.

Sales at limited-service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for their meals at the counter, decreased 0.2%.

Across the country, five provinces registered lower sales, and five posted increases. The largest sales decline occurred in Prince Edward Island, while Alberta posted the largest rise.

Note: All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars.

Preliminary data are provided for the current reference month. Unadjusted data, based on late responses, are revised for the two previous months. Seasonally adjusted data are revised for the three previous months.

Starting in the summer of 2009, annual revisions will take place once a year, for all months in the previous years, to improve data quality and coherence.

Available on CANSIM: table 355-0006.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2419.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Marc Racette (613-951-2924; fax: 613-951-6696; marc.racette@statcan.gc.ca) or Joan Farnworth (613-951-6303; joan.farnworth@statcan.gc.ca), Service Industries Division.