Food services and drinking places, February 2017

Released: 2017-04-28

Sales in the food services and drinking places subsector rose 0.5% to $5.6 billion in February. Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.3% compared with February 2016 while prices for alcoholic beverages were up 1.8%.

Chart 1 
Sales in the food services and drinking places subsector increase

Sales at full service restaurants lead gains

Sales at full service restaurants were up 1.1% in February, for a third consecutive monthly increase.

Receipts at limited service eating places rose 0.4% following a 3.0% gain in January.

Sales at drinking places declined 2.5% in February, following a 4.1% gain in January.

In the special food services industry group, which includes food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services, sales edged down 0.2%.

Sales increase in six provinces

The largest sales increase was in Ontario, where sales rose 1.3% on the strength of full service restaurants. Sales in Ontario have increased in three of the last four months.

Sales were up 0.9% in Quebec, for a sixth consecutive monthly increase.

Sales also increased in New Brunswick (+1.1%), Manitoba (+0.9%), Saskatchewan (+0.5%) and Prince Edward Island (+0.3%).

In British Columbia (-0.7%), sales were down following four consecutive monthly increases.

Alberta reported lower sales (-0.3%) following three consecutive monthly gains.

Receipts declined in Nova Scotia (-1.3%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.1%).

In celebration the 150th year of Confederation, Statistics Canada is presenting snapshots from our rich statistical history.

Monthly sales data about restaurants and food services were first published as The Restaurant, Caterer and Tavern statistics in January 1981, with sales of $665 million. That survey covered five familiar business classifications (namely licensed restaurants, unlicensed restaurants, take-outs, caterers and taverns) which differ from the current ones used.

These data, which are not seasonally adjusted, show a strong seasonal pattern that is similar to the unadjusted sales data now published. Sales increase through the first seven to eight months of the year, peaking around July-August, with higher sales in December typically followed by lower sales in January.

Over the span of the series from 1981 to 1997, sales increased 166%, rising from $18.2 billion annually in 1981 to $48.5 billion annually in 1997 (values expressed in current dollars). Double-digit growth rates were recorded in 1986 (+10.1%), 1988 (+11.6%) and 1989 (+21.3%); the only decrease in annual sales occurred in 1991 (-6.8%).

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).