Operations

Canadian restaurant visits down; off-premise dining rising

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November 30, 2021

Online and physical visits to Canadian restaurants and foodservice outlets were flat in the year ending Sept. 2021, compared to a year ago when traffic was down double digits, according to a report from The NPD Group. Visits were 18% below the pre-pandemic level in Sept. 2019.

Off-premise dining was a lifeline for the foodservice industry during the height of the pandemic, representing 83% of all foodservice visits, according to a press release on the report's findings. Carryout holds 46% of foodservice traffic and increased by 23% in the period over last year. Drive-thru, representing 28% of visits, increased by 14%, and delivery, which represents 8% of traffic, grew by 27%, reports NPD.

Quick service restaurants, most of which had well-developed off-premises operations in place before the pandemic, benefited from the growth in off-premises visits. Online and physical visits to QSRs grew by 4% in the year ending Sept. 2021 and were down 11% compared to the same period in 2019. Full service visits, which rely on dine-in traffic, are improving compared to a year ago but were down -4% in the reporting period compared to a year ago and down 31% from the year ending Sept. 2019.

"When the weather chases Canadians back into their homes, restaurant visits will, as they always do, trend downward," Vince Sgabellone, NPD foodservice industry analyst, said in the release. "That doesn't mean the industry cannot continue to make up for lost ground. A focus on new industry realities like safety protocols, digital ordering, and non-traditional business solutions like meal kits will continue to deliver dividends. When paired with traditional business drivers like good service, food quality, and value, these initiatives will help the industry finish 2021 on a high note."