Food services and drinking places

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Current dollar sales for the food services and drinking places industry increased 0.9% in February to $4.0 billion. This comes after a decline in sales in both November and December, followed by a partial recovery in January.

The price of food purchased in restaurants increased by 0.2% between January and February, according to the Consumer Price Index.

All sectors of the industry posted gains in sales relative to January except special food services. The largest increase of the four sectors was in drinking places at 2.3%.

Full-service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for meals at their table, had an increase of 2.0%.

Sales of limited service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for their meals at the counter, increased by 0.7%

In the special food services sector, comprising food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services, sales decreased by 5.0%.

Across the country, six provinces registered an increase in sales, while four had decreases. The largest increase was in Quebec, while British Colombia posted the largest decline.

Note: All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars.

Preliminary data are provided for the current reference month. Unadjusted data, based on late responses, are revised for the two previous months. Seasonally adjusted data are revised for the three previous months.

Starting in summer 2009, annual revisions will take place once a year, for all months in the previous years to improve data quality and coherence.

Available on CANSIM: table 355-0006.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2419.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Marc Racette (613-951-2924; fax: 613-951-6696; marc.racette@statcan.gc.ca), or Pierre Felx (613-951-0075; pierre.felx@statcan.gc.ca), Service Industries Division.