Food services and drinking places

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Current dollar sales for the food services and drinking places industry increased 0.9% from the previous month to $4.0 billion in January.

The price of food purchased in restaurants increased by 0.4% between December and January, according to the Consumer Price Index.

All sectors of the industry posted gains in sales compared with December. Among the four sectors, limited-service restaurants (+1.6%) recorded the largest increase in January.

Full-service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for meals at their table, saw their sales advance 0.5%.

In the special food services sector, comprising food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services, sales rose 0.3%, while sales in drinking places increased 1.0%.

All provinces posted an increased in sales except Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Quebec.

Note: All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars. Preliminary estimates are provided for the current reference month. Unadjusted estimates, based on late responses, are revised for the two previous months. Seasonally adjusted estimates 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.