Food services and drinking places, October 2020
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2020-12-22
$4.7 billion
October 2020
-8.9% 
(monthly change)
$63.3 million
October 2020
0.4% 
(monthly change)
F
October 2020
F
(monthly change)
$124.1 million
October 2020
1.2%
(monthly change)
$89.0 million
October 2020
-7.6%
(monthly change)
$800.9 million
October 2020
-20.1%
(monthly change)
$1,757.9 million
October 2020
-9.3%
(monthly change)
$139.3 million
October 2020
-12.9%
(monthly change)
$143.1 million
October 2020
-5.1%
(monthly change)
$660.1 million
October 2020
-4.6%
(monthly change)
$877.7 million
October 2020
-1.4%
(monthly change)
$6.7 million
October 2020
3.5%
(monthly change)
$5.2 million
October 2020
-6.4%
(monthly change)
$1.6 million
October 2020
2.6%
(monthly change)
Following five consecutive monthly gains, sales in the Food Service and Drinking Places subsector fell 8.9% to $4.7 billion in October 2020 as wave 2 COVID-19 restrictions were phased into several provinces. Sales declined at full-service restaurants (-17.0%), limited-service restaurants (-2.0%), drinking places (-21.1%) and special food services (-5.9%). Most provinces reported decreases, with the largest declines in dollar terms seen in Ontario (-9.3%) and Quebec (-20.1%). Manitoba reported decreased sales (-12.9%) as restrictions were directed at Winnipeg restaurants.
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 unadjusted (that is, not seasonally adjusted) estimates.
Due to the effects of COVID-19 on the food services and drinking places subsector, unadjusted sales for October 2020 were down 26.6% compared with October 2019. Sales fell in each of the following industry groups: full-service restaurants (-36.2%), special food services (-59.4%), limited-service restaurants (-9.1%) and drinking places (-47.6%). Year-over-year sales decreased in each province, with Ontario (-30.5%), Quebec (-35.1%) and British Columbia (-19.8%) reporting the largest declines in dollar terms.
Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.2% in October 2020 compared with October 2019 and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments were up 1.5% in the same period.
Note to readers
All data in this release are seasonally adjusted and are 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).
- Date modified: