Total sales in the food services and drinking places subsector increased 0.9% in August to $8.5 billion, marking the sixth consecutive monthly increase.
Non-seasonally adjusted prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 3.3% in August when compared with August 2024. Unadjusted prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments also increased 3.3% over the same period.
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.
Sales increase across the food services and drinking places subsector
In August, sales were up in all three industry groups within the food services and drinking places subsector, led by full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places. Both limited-service eating places (+1.0%) and full-service restaurants (+0.9%) recorded increases in August. Drinking places (+1.9%) had the highest percentage increase. Higher sales were also observed at special food services (+0.2%).
Sales increase in all provinces and territories
In August, all the provinces and territories saw increased sales. Ontario (+1.3%) posted the largest increase in dollar terms, marking its seventh consecutive monthly increase. British Columbia (+1.2%) also posted a notable increase in sales.
Table 1: Food services and drinking places – Seasonally adjusted
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.
Contact information
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