Total sales in the food services and drinking places subsector increased for the fifth consecutive month in December, rising 0.3% to $8.3 billion.
Non-seasonally adjusted prices for food purchased from restaurants were down 1.6% in December when compared with December 2023, and unadjusted prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments decreased 0.8% over the same period due to the federal tax break, which started on December 14, 2024.
Chart 1: Sales in food services and drinking places
Description - Chart 1
Data table: Sales in food services and drinking places
Notes: The higher variability associated with the trend-cycle estimates is indicated with a dotted line on the chart for the current reference month and the previous three months. For more information, see the Note to readers.
Source: Table 21-10-0019-01.
Table 1: Food services and drinking places – Seasonally adjusted
Limited-service eating places lead gains
In December, the largest increase in sales came from limited-service eating places (+0.9%), marking the industry's ninth consecutive monthly increase. Sales were down at full-service restaurants (-0.1%) and special food services (-0.5%).
Sales up in five provinces
In December, five provinces saw increased sales, with Ontario (+1.1%) posting the largest gain in dollar terms. British Columbia (+1.4%) also posted a large increase in sales, which coincided with the three Taylor Swift concerts held at BC Place in Vancouver. Quebec (-1.6%) posted the largest sales decrease.
Sales up in food services and drinking places subsector in 2024
The figures in this section are based on unadjusted (that is, not seasonally adjusted) estimates.
Annual sales of food services and drinking places totalled $96.5 billion in 2024, up 4.0% from 2023. Sales increased at limited-service eating places (+5.5%), full-service restaurants (+2.2%) and special food services (+6.8%) in 2024. Sales at drinking places (-1.9%) were down in the same period. Sales were up in all provinces, led by Ontario (+4.3%), Quebec (+3.6%) and British Columbia (+4.0%).
Limited-service eating places, also known as fast-food or quick-service restaurants, increased $2.3 billion from 2023 to $44.8 billion in 2024. Every province had growth in the fast-food industry, with the highest increases being in Ontario (+5.5%), Quebec (+6.2%) and British Columbia (+6.0%).
Sales in full-service restaurants increased by $895.5 million from one year earlier to $41.6 billion in 2024. Sales were up in nine provinces, led by Ontario (+2.2%) and British Columbia (+3.8%).
Limited-service eating places (46.4%) and full-service restaurants (43.1%) held the largest shares of sales in the food services and drinking places subsector in 2024.
Looking for more insight?
Further information is available in the "Food Services and Drinking Places Sales" dashboard, where users can consult data on sales in food services and drinking places for Canada and by province and territory. This application allows users to compare provincial and territorial data through interactive maps and charts.
Note to readers
Unless otherwise noted, all data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars. Seasonally adjusted data are data that have been modified to eliminate the effect of seasonal and calendar influences to allow for more meaningful comparisons of economic conditions from period to period. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Trend-cycle data are included in selected charts to complement the seasonally adjusted series. These data represent a smoothed version of the seasonally adjusted time series and provide information on longer-term movements, including changes in direction underlying the series. For information on trend-cycle data, see the page Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.
Data for the current reference month are preliminary. Usually, unadjusted data are revised for the previous two months, and seasonally adjusted data are revised for the previous three months. Both seasonally adjusted data and trend-cycle estimates are subject to revision as additional observations become available. These revisions could be large and could even lead to a reversal of movement, especially for reference months near the end of the series or during periods of economic disruption.
Find these data and more statistics on the Business and consumer services and culture statistics portal.
Reference
Data table: 21-10-0019-01.
- Note: some data tables may best be viewed on desktop.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2419.
Previous release: Food services and drinking places, November 2024.
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).