Statistics Canada : Food services and drinking places, November 2016

Released: 2017-01-31

Food services and drinking places sales - Canada

$5.5 billion

November 2016

0.4%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - N.L.

$73.8 million

November 2016

-0.2%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - P.E.I.

$20.0 million

November 2016

0.6%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - N.S.

$133.7 million

November 2016

0.8%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - N.B.

$97.0 million

November 2016

-0.9%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Que.

$1,022.9 million

November 2016

0.4%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Ont.

$2,179.2 million

November 2016

0.2%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Man.

$168.5 million

November 2016

0.9%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Sask.

$159.0 million

November 2016

2.2%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Alta.

$747.8 million

November 2016

0.8%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - B.C.

$889.6 million

November 2016

0.3%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Y.T.

$6.0 million

November 2016

2.0%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - N.W.T.

$7.0 million

November 2016

2.0%

(monthly change)

Food services and drinking places sales - Nvt.

$2.5 million

November 2016

7.9%

(monthly change)

Total sales for the food services and drinking places subsector rose 0.4% in November to $5.5 billion. Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.5% in the 12 months to November, and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments were 1.3% higher.

Sales at limited service eating places increase

Higher receipts at limited service eating places (+1.0%) were the main contributor to the gain in November. Sales at limited service eating places increased for the sixth consecutive month.

Receipts from the special food services group (+1.1%), which includes food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services, were also up in November.

Sales at full-service restaurants (-0.2%) were down for the second consecutive month. Following three months of sales gains, drinking places (-0.2%) posted lower sales in November.

Sales up in eight provinces

After declining in September (-1.6%) and October (-0.5%), sales in Alberta were up 0.8% on the strength of limited service eating places.

Receipts in Ontario edged up 0.2%, following a 0.1% decline in October.

Higher sales were reported in Quebec (+0.4%) for the third consecutive month.

Sales in Saskatchewan (+2.2%), British Columbia (+0.3%) and Manitoba (+0.9%) were up, following declines in all three provinces in October.

Nova Scotia reported a 0.8% increase following two consecutive monthly declines.

Sales in New Brunswick (-0.9%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-0.2%) were down in November.

The evolution of food services in Canada

As 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation, we take a look at some historical facts about restaurants and food services in Canada.

From the first comprehensive survey conducted on the subject, the sales of restaurants in 1930 were $76 million. This represented 2.8% of the total for retail merchandise trade that year. In 2015, restaurants and food services sales totalled $61 billion and represented 10.6% of total food and retail trade.

Contact information

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