Food services and drinking places, March 2021
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Released: 2021-05-25
$4.9 billion
March 2021
9.8% 
(monthly change)
$57.1 million
March 2021
7.1%
(monthly change)
$25.2 million
March 2021
0.4%
(monthly change)
$130.9 million
March 2021
1.6%
(monthly change)
$97.1 million
March 2021
10.4%
(monthly change)
$808.3 million
March 2021
8.5%
(monthly change)
$1,861.5 million
March 2021
14.1%
(monthly change)
$159.1 million
March 2021
18.3%
(monthly change)
$145.9 million
March 2021
2.7%
(monthly change)
$678.6 million
March 2021
10.3%
(monthly change)
$930.2 million
March 2021
4.2%
(monthly change)
$6.4 million
March 2021
2.5%
(monthly change)
$4.7 million
March 2021
1.9%
(monthly change)
$1.6 million
March 2021
5.0%
(monthly change)
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales in the food services and drinking places subsector rose 9.8% to $4.9 billion in March compared with February. Sales rose at full-service restaurants (+15.8%), limited-service eating places (+6.0%), special food services (+6.9%) and drinking places (+15.3%). Each province reported higher sales, with Ontario (+14.1%) posting the largest increase. Quebec (+8.5%) and Alberta (+10.3%) also reported large gains.
Chart 1
Sales in food services and drinking places
Further information is available in the Food Services and Drinking Places Sales dashboard, which provides access to data on sales in food services and drinking places for Canada and by province and territory. This application allows users to compare provincial and territorial data through interactive maps and charts.
Sales in the food services and drinking places subsector are up year over year, but still lower than before the pandemic
The figures in this section are based on seasonally unadjusted estimates.
A year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent implementation of restrictions on the food services and drinking places subsector, unadjusted sales for March were up 19.3% compared with March 2020. Although sales have increased since March 2020, they are still almost one-quarter (-23.3%) lower than in March 2019.
Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.8% in March 2021 compared with March 2020, and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments decreased 0.1% over the same period (see table 18-10-0004-13).
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 to complement 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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