Sales for Canadian food services and drinking places industry stable in March at C$4.6B, following gains the previous two months, Statistics Canada says; prices for food purchased from restaurants unchanged

Nevin Barich

OTTAWA , May 30, 2014 (press release) – Sales for the food services and drinking places industry were stable in March at $4.6 billion, following gains the previous two months. Prices for food purchased from restaurants were unchanged.

In March, a 0.5% decline in the limited-service restaurant sector was offset by higher sales in the other three industry sectors. Sales in the special food services sector, which includes food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services, increased for the third consecutive month, up 1.0%. Sales in full-service restaurants edged up 0.2%. Sales in the drinking places sector were up 1.1%.

Lower sales were reported in six provinces in March.

In dollar terms, Quebec (-1.0%) reported the largest decrease as a result of lower sales at full-service restaurants.

Sales were down in all four Atlantic provinces, mostly as a result of lower sales in the limited-service restaurant sector.

In British Columbia, the 1.0% increase in sales did not offset February's decline.

Sales in Ontario (+0.3%) rose for the third month in a row.

In Saskatchewan, sales (+1.0%) increased for the fourth consecutive month.

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