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Canadians are gobbling up food and drinks at restaurants and bars around the country as the industry has had its fifth consecutive increase this year.
According to new data released by Statistics Canada sales for the month of May rose 1.1 per cent to $4.8 billion and have steadily risen in the past 12 months by 2.1 per cent. For the fifth consecutive month all sectors reported higher sales. Full service restaurants account for almost two thirds of the gain, rising 1.6 per cent, the largest increase since March 2013.
Sales in British Columbia rose 0.4 per cent and were mostly driven by growth in the full service restaurant sector. Ontario had the highest sales for the month with a 2.2 per cent increase, followed by Quebec which was 0.8 per cent for May.
Notably there was also a gain in special food services such as caterers and mobile food services, or food trucks. Following a 2.8 per cent gain in April, sales increased in May 0.4 per cent nationally.
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