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Food services and drinking places, December 2017

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Released: 2018-02-21

Food services and drinking places sales — Canada

$5.9 billion

December 2017

0.8% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — N.L.

$75.0 million

December 2017

0.7% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — P.E.I.

$22.0 million

December 2017

1.4% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — N.S.

$136.4 million

December 2017

-0.7% decrease

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — N.B.

$103.1 million

December 2017

1.4% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Que.

$1,103.0 million

December 2017

-0.1% decrease

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Ont.

$2,309.0 million

December 2017

0.6% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Man.

$166.8 million

December 2017

-0.4% decrease

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Sask.

$156.5 million

December 2017

0.4% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Alta.

$789.1 million

December 2017

2.9% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — B.C.

$972.5 million

December 2017

1.0% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Y.T.

$5.9 million

December 2017

0.2% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — N.W.T.

$8.9 million

December 2017

1.6% increase

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales — Nvt.

$2.3 million

December 2017

10.1% increase

(monthly change)

Sales in the food services and drinking places subsector rose 0.8% to $5.9 billion in December. Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.9% in the 12 months to December, while prices for alcoholic beverages rose 1.4%.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Sales at food services and drinking places
Sales at food services and drinking places

Following declines in November, receipts in December rebounded at both full-service (+1.7%) and limited-service (+0.5%) restaurants. Following increases in November, sales fell at both special food services (-1.2%) and drinking places (-2.2%).

Higher sales were reported in seven provinces. Alberta (+2.9%) posted the largest gain, following decreases in the previous two months. Sales were also up in Ontario (+0.6%), British Columbia (+1.0%) and New Brunswick (+1.4%) in December. Meanwhile, sales were down in Quebec (-0.1%), Nova Scotia (-0.7%) and Manitoba (-0.4%).

To find out more, consult the dashboard entitled Food Services and Drinking Places Sales. This web application provides access to data on the sales of food services and drinking places for Canada, the provinces and territories. This dynamic application allows users to compare provincial and territorial data with interactive maps and charts.

Strong sales in food services and drinking places subsector in 2017 for Canada 150

The figures in this section are based on unadjusted (that is, not seasonally adjusted) estimates.

Annual sales of food services and drinking places totalled $68.4 billion in 2017, up 5.3% from 2016. This sales growth coincided with Canada 150 celebrations, record high tourism and a near record low unemployment rate since comparable labour force data became available in January 1976. The average price index for food purchased from restaurants was 2.6% higher compared with 2016, and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments were up 1.5%.

Sales increased at full-service restaurants (+5.9%), limited-service restaurants (+5.6%), special food services (+2.7%) and drinking places (+0.4%) in 2017 compared with 2016. Sales were up in most provinces, led by Ontario (+5.6%), Quebec (+6.9%) and British Columbia (+7.7%).

Sales in full-service restaurants increased by $1.7 billion (+5.9%) from a year earlier to $29.9 billion in 2017. Sales were up in most provinces, led by Ontario (+7.3%), Quebec (+6.5%) and British Columbia (+6.7%).

Limited-service eating places, also known as fast food or quick-service restaurants, reported the largest total sales at $30.5 billion, up $1.6 billion (+5.6%) from 2016. Every province and territory had positive growth in the fast food industry, with the largest increases in Ontario (+5.0%), British Columbia (+10.4%) and Quebec (+8.0%). Limited-service eating places held the largest share of sales in the food services and drinking places subsector (44.7%), compared with full-service restaurants (43.7%).

Sales in special food services, which includes food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services, rose 2.7% to $5.5 billion in 2017. Sales were down in Saskatchewan (-18.4%), New Brunswick (-14.1%), Nova Scotia (-6.0%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-0.2%). On the other hand, the other provinces and territories showed positive gains, led by Quebec (+11.4%).

Sales in drinking places and bars edged up 0.4% to $2.4 billion in 2017, led by British Columbia (+6.0%). Sales declined in Alberta (-8.1%) and Quebec (-2.3%), although Quebec maintained the highest sales in this subsector ($637 million), followed by British Columbia ($632 million). Quebec and British Columbia accounted for over half of sales at drinking places in 2017.


  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.

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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