Food services and drinking places, May 2021
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Released: 2021-07-23
$4.4 billion
May 2021
-0.6% 
(monthly change)
$63.1 million
May 2021
-2.6%
(monthly change)
$23.6 million
May 2021
-4.6%
(monthly change)
$98.1 million
May 2021
-22.3%
(monthly change)
$95.9 million
May 2021
-1.1%
(monthly change)
$809.5 million
May 2021
-1.1%
(monthly change)
$1,575.0 million
May 2021
-0.3%
(monthly change)
$143.1 million
May 2021
-5.7%
(monthly change)
$139.2 million
May 2021
0.9% 
(monthly change)
$564.9 million
May 2021
-5.5%
(monthly change)
$858.8 million
May 2021
7.7%
(monthly change)
$6.0 million
May 2021
F
(monthly change)
$4.9 million
May 2021
F
(monthly change)
$1.4 million
May 2021
-5.6%
(monthly change)
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales in the food services and drinking places subsector fell slightly (-0.6%) to $4.4 billion in May 2021 compared with the previous month, as the industry continued to deal with the effects of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in sales at limited-service restaurants (+0.6%), special food services (+1.5%) and drinking places (+1.6%) were not enough to offset the decline at full-service restaurants (-3.2%). Eight provinces reported lower sales, with the largest decrease in dollar terms in Alberta (-5.5%), as that province closed both indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants on May 10. Nova Scotia had the highest decline in percentage terms (-22.3%), as the province stopped allowing dining in restaurants on April 28. British Columbia had the largest increase (+7.7%), as restaurants were able to open indoor dining with restrictions by the end of the month.
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 its subsequent restrictions on the food services and drinking places subsector, unadjusted sales for May 2021 were up 35.6% compared with May 2020. While companies in food services and drinking places pivoted to conduct business in a new reality in the past year, sales are still almost one-third (-31.2%) lower than in May 2019.
Prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 2.6% in May 2021 compared with May 2020, and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments decreased 1.5% 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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