Food services and drinking places, February 2015

Released: 2015-04-30

Sales at food services and drinking places declined 0.7% to $4.9 billion in February. Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.8% in the 12 months to February, but were unchanged from January.

Chart 1 
Food services and drinking places sales decrease in February

In February, two of the four sectors reported lower sales. Sales in the full-service restaurant sector (-1.9%) declined for the second consecutive month. Lower receipts were registered in the drinking places sector (-0.7%), its second consecutive monthly decrease. Higher sales were posted in the special food services sector (+0.7%), which includes food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services. Sales in the limited-service restaurant sector edged up 0.1% in February, the 13th increase in 14 months.

Sales down in six provinces

Sales were down in six provinces in February.

Sales in Ontario fell 1.9%, the second consecutive monthly decline. The monthly sales level in February was the lowest in the province since June 2014. Sales in Prince Edward Island (-2.0%) and Nova Scotia (-0.1%) also declined for the second consecutive month.

Sales in Quebec (-1.6%) declined for the first time in three months.

British Columbia (+1.2%) and Alberta (+0.9%) posted the largest gains, following declines the previous month.

Contact information

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