Food services and drinking places, August 2017
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Released: 2017-10-23
$5.7 billion
August 2017
-0.0% 
(monthly change)
$75.8 million
August 2017
-0.5%
(monthly change)
$21.3 million
August 2017
-1.1%
(monthly change)
$137.1 million
August 2017
2.4% 
(monthly change)
$100.2 million
August 2017
0.5%
(monthly change)
$1,096.1 million
August 2017
0.9%
(monthly change)
$2,240.5 million
August 2017
-0.9%
(monthly change)
$171.3 million
August 2017
0.4%
(monthly change)
$154.2 million
August 2017
1.4%
(monthly change)
$771.6 million
August 2017
0.1%
(monthly change)
$954.4 million
August 2017
0.2%
(monthly change)
$6.7 million
August 2017
-1.0%
(monthly change)
$8.6 million
August 2017
1.5%
(monthly change)
$2.2 million
August 2017
-13.0%
(monthly change)
Sales at food services and drinking places totalled $5.7 billion in August, unchanged (0.0%) from July. Prices for food purchased from restaurants rose 2.6% in the 12 months to August, while prices for alcoholic beverages increased 1.7%.
Chart 1
Sales at food services and drinking places
Receipts in August rose at limited service eating places (+0.8%) for the third consecutive month. Sales declined at special food services (-3.0%), full service restaurants (-0.2%) and drinking places (-1.1%), following gains the previous month.
Sales rose in seven provinces, led by Quebec (+0.9%), Nova Scotia (+2.4%) and Saskatchewan (+1.4%). Ontario (-0.9%), which had unseasonable cool wet weather in August, reported the largest sales decline.
Sales at food services and drinking places up from last year
The figures in this section are based on unadjusted (that is, not seasonally adjusted) estimates.
Year-to-date sales at food services and drinking places were up 4.9% in 2017 compared with the same period in 2016. Receipts were up at full service restaurants (+5.6%), limited service eating places (+5.4%) and the special food services industry group (+1.6%), but down at drinking places (-1.5%).
In celebration of the country's 150th birthday, Statistics Canada is presenting snapshots from our rich statistical history.
Limited service eating places have increased in popularity over the years. The proportion of food services and drinking places sales at these fast food restaurants has increased steadily, from 39% in the late 1990s (first available CANSIM data) to 45% in 2016.
The number of locations has increased by 19%, from approximately 31,600 in 1998 to 37,700 in 2016, making them more accessible and easier to reach. Many limited service eating places have also recently started to offer customers healthier options, higher quality ingredients and customizable meals, inducing new clientele to consider fast food when they may not have eaten at a traditional pizza or burger joint.
Note to readers
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars unless otherwise noted. For information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
For information on trend-cycle data, see the StatCan Blog and Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.
Data for the current reference month are preliminary. Usually, unadjusted data are revised for the two previous months, and seasonally adjusted data are revised for the three previous months.
Products
The dashboard entitled Food Services and Drinking Places Sales (71-607-X) is now available online. This web application provides access to data on the sales of food services and drinking places for Canada, provinces and territories. This dynamic application allows users to compare provincial and territorial data with interactive maps and charts.
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).
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