Food services and drinking places

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Current dollar sales for the food services and drinking places industry increased 1.3% from March to just over $4.0 billion in April.

The price of food purchased in restaurants increased by 0.3% between March and April, according to the Consumer Price Index.

In April, all four sectors in the industry posted higher sales relative to March. The largest sales increase was in the special food services sector (+2.5%), which comprises food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services.

Sales at full-service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for meals at their table, increased by 1.0%. Sales at limited service restaurants, where patrons order and pay for their meals at the counter, rose by 1.2%.

Sales at drinking places increased by 1.8%.

Across the country, all provinces registered higher sales except Quebec (-0.3%). The largest sales increases were in Nova Scotia (+2.7%) and Manitoba (+2.5%).

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 the summer of 2009, annual revisions will take place once a year, for all months in the previous year, 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.