Total sales in the food services and drinking places subsector decreased 0.3% in September to $8.5 billion.
Non-seasonally adjusted prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 3.3% in September when compared with September 2024. Unadjusted prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments also increased, up 3.1% 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.
Full-service eating places lead declines
In September, the largest decline in sales in dollar terms came from full-service restaurants (-0.5%). Lower sales were also observed in special food services (-0.8%) and drinking places (-2.3%). Sales at limited-service restaurants (+0.1%) saw the only increase.
Sales decrease in eight provinces
In September, 8 of the 10 provinces saw decreased sales, with Quebec (-1.0%) and Ontario (-0.4%) posting the largest decreases in dollar terms. Alberta (+0.8%) and Nova Scotia (+1.3%) were the only two provinces to record an increase in sales for the month.
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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