Food services and drinking places, September 2021
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Released: 2021-11-23
$6.3 billion
September 2021
0.0% 
(monthly change)
$76.4 million
September 2021
1.6%
(monthly change)
$27.8 million
September 2021
1.7%
(monthly change)
$153.9 million
September 2021
3.4%
(monthly change)
$109.2 million
September 2021
-0.3% 
(monthly change)
$1,205.3 million
September 2021
-2.8%
(monthly change)
$2,440.3 million
September 2021
2.1%
(monthly change)
$187.0 million
September 2021
1.6%
(monthly change)
$171.8 million
September 2021
0.5%
(monthly change)
$815.0 million
September 2021
-4.8%
(monthly change)
$1,111.2 million
September 2021
1.4%
(monthly change)
$7.4 million
September 2021
3.3%
(monthly change)
$5.6 million
September 2021
-11.6%
(monthly change)
$1.5 million
September 2021
3.2%
(monthly change)
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales in the food service and drinking places subsector remained unchanged (+0.0%) at $6.3 billion in September 2021 compared with the previous month. Sales at full-service restaurants (-2.0%) and drinking places (-12.3%) fell, while sales at limited service eating places were up +2.0%. Special food services rose 6.6% as cafeterias re-opened in schools and workplaces and more catered special events were allowed to take place.
Seven of the provinces reported higher sales, with the largest increases in dollar terms being in Ontario (+2.1%). Alberta (-4.8%) had the largest decrease as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the province and the public health emergency was reinstated. Following four consecutive monthly gains, sales declined in Quebec (-2.8%).
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.
Year-over-year sales in the food services and drinking places subsector rise, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels
The figures in this section are based on seasonally unadjusted estimates.
Unadjusted sales for September 2021 were up by over one-fifth (+21.1%) compared with September 2020 and 2.5% lower compared with September 2019.
On a quarterly basis, sales in the third quarter of 2021 were one-quarter higher (+25.0%) compared with the third quarter of 2020.
Year over year, prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 3.5% in September 2021, and prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments increased 1.3% (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.
Find this data and more statistics on the Business and consumer services and culture statistics portal.
Contact information
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