According to new Statistics Canada data, restaurant and bar activity in Alberta grew higher in January.

Following a 1.6% uptick in December, seasonally-adjusted revenues at Alberta’s food services and drinking places jumped by $64.3 million (7.0%) in January.

With this gain, monthly revenues stood 5.1% above the previous high reached in September 2022.

Relative to January 2022, sales were up by $207 million (31.0%) with full-service restaurants driving over half the aggregate increase.

Every province posted increases in sales, led by British Columbia (+15.4%), Ontario (+8.6%), and Saskatchewan (+7.2%). 

Nationally, revenues grew by $643.6 million (8.7%) in the month.

Answer to the previous trivia question: According to Our World in Data, almost a quarter of the world’s adults smoke tobacco.

Today’s trivia question: How many ounces is the steak that Chet Ripley (played by the late great John Candy) orders in the 1988 film The Great Outdoors?