Monthly Survey of Food Services and Drinking Places (MSFSDP)

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19.

By law, Statistics Canada is prohibited from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent, or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Statistics Canada will use the information from this survey for statistical purposes only.

Data sharing agreements

To reduce response burden, Statistics Canada has entered into data sharing agreements with provincial and territorial statistical agencies and other government organizations, which have agreed to keep the data confidential and use them for statistical purposes only. Statistics Canada will share data from this survey only with those organizations that have demonstrated a requirement to use the data.

Section 11 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with provincial and territorial statistical agencies that meet certain conditions. These agencies must have the legislative authority to collect the same information, on a mandatory basis, and the legislation must include substantially the same provisions for confidentiality and penalties for disclosure of confidential information as the Statistics Act. Because these agencies have the legal authority to compel businesses to provide the same information, consent is not requested and businesses may not object to the sharing of the data.

For this survey, there are Section 11 agreements, with the provincial and territorial statistical agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. The data shared will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Section 12 of the Statistics Act provides for the sharing of information with federal, provincial or territorial government organizations. Under Section 12, you may refuse to share your information with any of these organizations by writing a letter of objection to the Chief Statistician, specifying the organizations with which you do not want Statistics Canada to share your data and mailing it to the following address:

Chief Statistician of Canada
Statistics Canada
Attention of Director, Enterprise Statistics Division
150 Tunney's Pasture Driveway
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6

You may also contact us by email, at statcan.esdhelpdesk-dsebureaudedepannage.statcan@statcan.gc.ca, or by fax, at 613-951-6583.

For this survey, there are Section 12 agreements with the statistical agencies of Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

For agreements with provincial and territorial government organizations, the shared data will be limited to information pertaining to business establishments located within the jurisdiction of the respective province or territory.

Record linkage

To enhance the data from this survey and reduce response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with data from other surveys or administrative sources.

The survey asks questions about

• main business activity
• reporting period information
• sales of goods and services
• number of locations.

Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.

Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.

Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.

• Why does Statistics Canada want to survey the food services and drinking places industry?
• How was my business unit selected?
• How will this survey benefit my business unit?
• I already complete the Annual Food Services and Drinking Places Survey. Why can’t you use the data I already provided?
• Who uses this information and how?
• When will the results be available?

Why does Statistics Canada want to survey the food services and drinking places industry?

The survey will provide information on the food services and drinking place industry that is comparable to the information available for other industries: sales by type of food service and the industry’s contribution to the Canadian economy. This information will help businesses and governments monitor the impact of the food services industry in Canada.

How was my business unit selected?

Most businesses are selected as part of a random sample to represent other food services and drinking places with similar characteristics, such as size, employment, or revenue. Some are selected because of their significant contribution to the industry in their province or territory. Each respondent's answers are very important to ensure that the final statistics provide an accurate and complete picture of the food services industry.

How will this survey benefit my business unit?

You could use the results to compare your business unit’s performance with averages for similar types of businesses. Even if you don’t use the results directly, your participation contributes to measuring the economic health of your industry, your province and your country. This information benefits all citizens.

I already complete the Annual Food Services and Drinking Places Survey.  Why can't you use the data I already provided?

The monthly and annual surveys collect different kinds of data. The monthly survey asks only for sales and number of locations, while the annual survey collects a more complete picture of the industry. The annual survey provides more detailed information on sources of revenue, cost of goods sold and expenses.

Who uses this information and how?

Many businesses and organizations need accurate information to track growth and changes in this industry.

Individual businesses can use the information to monitor their performance against industry averages. The survey will help provide measures of profitability by type of food service (such as full-service restaurant, caterer or drinking place) broken down by province.

Food services associations rely on the information to assess growth in the industry.

Investors will be able to monitor industry performance, which could result in better access to working capital for food services businesses.

Governments will have information to use in making decisions about labour and finance policies and business assistance programs for the industry.

When will the results be available?

Results of the survey are released in The Daily two months after the reference period.