indicatorThe Twenty-Four

Restaurant and bar sales slipped as virus surged in November

Year-over-year sales In Alberta have been lower every month since March and were down by 26.5 per cent ($220 million) in November

By ATB Economics 26 January 2021 1 min read

Seasonally adjusted restaurant and bar sales in Alberta were down for the second straight month in November, falling 6.3 per cent ($41 million) compared to October.

Monthly sales in December will be even lower as all restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes in the province were required to end dine-in service as of December 13.

Year-over-year sales have been lower every month since March and were down by 26.5 per cent ($220 million) in November compared to November 2019.

Total sales in the sector over the first 11 months of the year were off by 23.9 per cent or $2.2 billion.

The lost sales are not evenly distributed across the sector with revenue among “limited service eating places” (which includes fast food restaurants and take-out restaurants) down by 11.9 per cent over the first 11 months of the year compared to close about a 50 per cent drop among drinking places.
Notwithstanding month-over-month improvement in three of the Atlantic provinces, the situation is much the same across the country with year-over-year and year-to-date sales down in every province.

Year-to-date sales in the country as a whole were down by 27.5 per cent or $19.4 billion as of November. Year-to-date revenue was down the most in Ontario at 30.4 per cent or $8.5 billion.

Answer to the previous trivia question: Restaurants and bars are part of the accommodation and food services sector rather than the retail trade sector.

Today’s trivia question: Which chain has the most restaurants in Canada?

Seasonally adjusted restaurant and bar sales in Alberta were down for the second straight month in November

Seasonally adjusted restaurant and bar sales in Alberta were down for the second straight month in November


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