Food services and drinking places, February 2018
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Released: 2018-04-23
$5.8 billion
February 2018
0.7% 
(monthly change)
$74.7 million
February 2018
0.2%
(monthly change)
$21.3 million
February 2018
2.0%
(monthly change)
$137.6 million
February 2018
0.1%
(monthly change)
$99.6 million
February 2018
1.4%
(monthly change)
$1,089.7 million
February 2018
1.7%
(monthly change)
$2,335.4 million
February 2018
0.8%
(monthly change)
$171.2 million
February 2018
-0.3% 
(monthly change)
$155.5 million
February 2018
0.3%
(monthly change)
$757.5 million
February 2018
-1.2%
(monthly change)
$976.9 million
February 2018
1.0%
(monthly change)
$5.9 million
February 2018
-1.7%
(monthly change)
$8.2 million
February 2018
-1.5%
(monthly change)
$2.2 million
February 2018
-5.3%
(monthly change)
Sales in the food services and drinking places subsector were up 0.7% to $5.8 billion in February. Sales increased at full-service restaurants (+1.5%), drinking places (+1.8%) and special food services (+0.3%). Sales at limited-service restaurants edged down 0.1%.
Chart 1
Sales at food services and drinking places
Higher sales were reported in eight provinces. Ontario (+0.8%), Quebec (+1.7%) and British Columbia (+1.0%) posted the largest increases in February. Sales in Alberta (-1.2%) and Manitoba (-0.3%) decreased.
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.
Sales in food services and drinking places subsector increase year over year
The figures in this section are based on unadjusted (that is, not seasonally adjusted) estimates.
Unadjusted year-over-year sales were up in the food services and drinking places subsector, increasing 4.5% in February 2018 compared with February 2017. Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 4.0% and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments increased 2.2% in the same period. The Consumer Price Index increase in food purchased from restaurants was the highest year-over-year increase since 2009.
Sales in each of the following industry groups increased: full-service restaurants (+5.8%), limited service restaurants (+3.5%), special food services (+3.8%) and drinking places (+1.1%). Sales increased in most of the provinces, with the largest gains in dollar terms seen in Ontario (+5.3%), British Columbia (+9.6%) and Quebec (+3.1%).
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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