Canadians in nine out of ten provinces boosted spending in restaurants in July, according to Statistics Canada data released Wednesday.
Total food services sales rose 0.5% to $4.02 billion up from $4 billion in June. Sales at full-service restaurants rose 0.7% while sales at limited-service establishments rose 0.6%.
Special food services operators including caterers and special food service contractors saw overall sales fall 0.9%, while sales at drinking establishments fell 0.7%.
Provincially, food services sales rose in every province except Ontario, which recorded a 0.3% decline.
The biggest sales increases were in Nova Scotia (2.8%), Saskatchewan (1.4%), Newfoundland (0.9%) and Alberta (0.9%).
B.C. sales rose 0.8% to $653.6 million from $648.6 million.