It’s been another punishing month for Alberta’s restaurants and bars, according to Alberta Treasury Branch.
Seasonally adjusted sales at Alberta restaurants and bars in January 2021 were down by 37 per cent ($301 million) compared to the previous January, the ATB reported in its The Owl economic newsletter.
This was the 11th consecutive year-over-year drop in sales, with the largest decline recorded in April 2020 when sales plummeted by 57 per cent.
Total sales between March 2020 and January 2021 were down by $2.7 billion (30 per cent) compared to the same period the year before.
The ATB stated bars have taken the biggest hit with year-over-year sales down by 78 per cent in January 2021 compared to January 2020.
Sales at full-service restaurants were down by 61 per cent while sales at “limited-service eating places” such as coffee shops and fast-food restaurants were down by 10 per cent.
Restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafés in Alberta were allowed to open for in-person service, with restrictions, on February 8.
Nationally, year-over-year sales were down by 36 per cent with significantly lower sales recorded in all provinces and territories except for Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the ATB.
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