CHICAGO — Canadians made more than 6.6-billion visits to restaurants and other foodservice establishments in 2011, a three-per-cent increase year over year, according to a new report by the NPD Group.
“Economic conditions in Canada didn’t do much to strengthen the environment for foodservice during the fall period, but as is often the case, foodservice begins to improve prior to any economic recovery,” says Robert Carter, executive director of Foodservice.
“Some challenges still remain for the country’s foodservice industry, but the hope is that the current positive trend in foodservice visits is a bellwether for better times ahead.”
Foodservice spending reached an all-time high at $47.6 billion, a four-per-cent gain compared to last year, according to the group’s CREST tracking system. QSR traffic increased by five per cent compared to the fall quarter of last year, and growth was spread across all dayparts, with supper and lunch posting top gains on weekends.
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