Food services and drinking places, August 2024
Released: 2024-10-30
$8.1 billion
August 2024
0.3% 
(monthly change)
$90.3 million
August 2024
1.1%
(monthly change)
$37.1 million
August 2024
1.5%
(monthly change)
$190.2 million
August 2024
1.2%
(monthly change)
$134.9 million
August 2024
1.3%
(monthly change)
$1,567.7 million
August 2024
0.9%
(monthly change)
$3,188.8 million
August 2024
0.4%
(monthly change)
$222.5 million
August 2024
0.6%
(monthly change)
$209.6 million
August 2024
0.8%
(monthly change)
$1,047.2 million
August 2024
-0.3% 
(monthly change)
$1,400.9 million
August 2024
-0.5%
(monthly change)
$10.0 million
August 2024
1.0%
(monthly change)
$6.5 million
August 2024
-0.5%
(monthly change)
$2.2 million
August 2024
3.0%
(monthly change)
Total sales in the food services and drinking places subsector increased for the fifth consecutive month in August, rising 0.3% to $8.1 billion, the highest level on record.
Unadjusted prices for food purchased from restaurants were up 3.4% in August compared with August 2023 and unadjusted prices for alcoholic beverages served in licensed establishments increased 2.1% over the same period.
Chart 1
Sales in food services and drinking places
Higher sales at limited-service eating places and full-service restaurants drive gains
In dollar terms, the largest increase in August came from higher sales at limited-service eating places (+0.7%), marking this industry's fifth consecutive monthly increase.
Full-service restaurants also posted higher receipts (+0.3%) in August, rebounding from the decrease posted in July.
Special food services posted a decrease of 1.5% in August, the third consecutive monthly decline for this industry group. Lower receipts at drinking places (-0.2%) were also seen in August.
Sales up in eight provinces
In August, eight provinces saw increased sales. Quebec (+0.9%) posted the largest gains in dollar terms, with higher sales posted in all industry groups.
Sales were also up in Ontario (+0.4%), increasing for the fourth consecutive month, led by higher sales from limited-service eating places.
In August, the largest provincial decrease came from lower sales in British Columbia (-0.5%), driven largely by lower sales in full-service restaurants. Sales in Alberta (-0.3%) also fell in August, led by lower sales at drinking places.
Looking for more insight?
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.
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Note to readers
Unless otherwise noted, all data in this release are seasonally adjusted and expressed in current dollars. 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 page 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 these data and more statistics on the Business and consumer services and culture statistics portal.
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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