Food services and drinking places, November 2020
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Released: 2021-01-22
$4.5 billion
November 2020
-3.7% 
(monthly change)
$64.7 million
November 2020
3.1% 
(monthly change)
$24.2 million
November 2020
3.2%
(monthly change)
$120.4 million
November 2020
-2.8%
(monthly change)
$91.8 million
November 2020
2.8%
(monthly change)
$774.2 million
November 2020
-0.4%
(monthly change)
$1,755.0 million
November 2020
-1.5%
(monthly change)
$113.9 million
November 2020
-18.2%
(monthly change)
$126.5 million
November 2020
-10.9%
(monthly change)
$608.6 million
November 2020
-6.3%
(monthly change)
$803.0 million
November 2020
-7.3%
(monthly change)
$5.9 million
November 2020
-8.7%
(monthly change)
$4.7 million
November 2020
-2.0%
(monthly change)
$1.3 million
November 2020
-7.2%
(monthly change)
Sales in the food services and drinking places subsector declined 3.7% to $4.5 billion in November 2020, as restrictions continued to be put in place across the country in response to the second wave of COVID-19. Sales declined at full-service restaurants (-8.3%), drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (-13.0%), special food services (-3.5%), and limited-service restaurants (-0.2%). Most provinces reported decreases, with the largest declines in dollar terms seen in British Columbia (-7.3%), Alberta (-6.3%), Ontario (-1.5%) and Manitoba (-18.2%).
Chart 1
Sales in food services and drinking places
Further information can be found in the "Food Services and Drinking Places Sales" dashboard. This web application provides access to data on sales in food services and drinking places for Canada, and by province and territory. This dynamic application allows users to compare provincial and territorial data through interactive maps and charts.
Year-over-year sales in the food services and drinking places subsector still down
The figures in this section are based on seasonally unadjusted estimates.
Due to the effects of COVID-19 on the food services and drinking places subsector, unadjusted sales for November 2020 were down 32.0% compared with November 2019. Sales fell in each of the following industry groups: full-service restaurants (-45.1%), special food services (-60.1%), limited-service restaurants (-10.8%), and drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (-61.9%). Year-over-year sales decreased in each province, with Ontario (-32.8%), Quebec (-41.2%), British Columbia (-28.6%), and Alberta (-27.4%) reporting the largest declines in dollar terms.
Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.2% in November 2020 compared with November 2019 and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments were down 0.2% for the same period.
Note to readers
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars, unless otherwise noted. 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 as a complement to 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 StatCan Blog and 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.
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; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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