Food services and drinking places, July 2021
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Released: 2021-09-23
$6.0 billion
July 2021
11.0% 
(monthly change)
$67.7 million
July 2021
0.2%
(monthly change)
$23.9 million
July 2021
5.1%
(monthly change)
$133.3 million
July 2021
4.5%
(monthly change)
$101.2 million
July 2021
1.8%
(monthly change)
$1,202.3 million
July 2021
9.0%
(monthly change)
$2,235.3 million
July 2021
15.7%
(monthly change)
$180.3 million
July 2021
23.8%
(monthly change)
$171.0 million
July 2021
4.1%
(monthly change)
$789.5 million
July 2021
8.1%
(monthly change)
$1,073.9 million
July 2021
8.0%
(monthly change)
$6.6 million
July 2021
3.5%
(monthly change)
$5.5 million
July 2021
7.4%
(monthly change)
$1.4 million
July 2021
0.7%
(monthly change)
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales in the food services and drinking places subsector were up 11.0% in July 2021 compared with the previous month.
Consumer confidence grew as restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic continued to ease and vaccination rates were increasing throughout the country. Summer weather allowed for increased patio seating and outdoor events, which also contributed to the growth in sales. Receipts totalled $6.0 billion, their highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. Full-service restaurants (+20.4%), limited-service restaurants (+2.4%), drinking places (+27.0%) and special food services (+12.2%) all saw increased sales.
All provinces reported higher sales in July, with the largest increases in dollar terms posted in Ontario (+15.7%), Quebec (+9.0%), British Columbia (+8.0%) and Alberta (+8.1%). Manitoba had the highest percentage increase (+23.8%) of all the provinces in July compared with June (+0.3%), as restrictions in the province were eased later than in the rest of Canada.
Chart 1
Sales in food services and drinking places
Further information is available in the Food Services and Drinking Places Sales dashboard, where users can consult 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.
Unadjusted sales for July 2021 were up by more than one-quarter (+28.5%) compared with July 2020, almost returning to pre-pandemic levels. Many provinces reduced or removed restrictions at food service establishments and drinking places in July 2021, which had sales 4.0% below those of July 2019.
In July 2021, prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 3.1% compared with July 2020, while prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments decreased by 1.1% 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
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