Consumer Dining Index Recovers After Unexpected Slump in June 2024
Restaurants Canada’s Consumer Dining Index (CDI) recovered from May’s drop to 82.6, climbing up to 95.9 in June as Canadians returned to sourcing more meals from restaurants across all dayparts. Notably, Canadians aged 35 to 54-years-olds reported the largest increase in restaurant visit frequency in June over May compared to other age groups. The improvement in the CDI aligns with an overall increase in consumer confidence, as reported by the Conference Board of Canada. However, on a year-over-year basis, the CDI remains slightly below 2023 levels at 95.9 in June 2024, compared to 96.4 in June 2023.
Lunch, which had seen the largest drop in visits at least once in May, saw the strongest rise in June as those who purchased lunch at least once rose to 73% in June from 64% in May, and those who purchased lunch once a week or more returned to 20% in June.
Looking ahead, the REACT survey indicates that the trends from June will continue into July with most Canadians intending to dine out similarly or more often through the month.
Findings in the REACT report are from a monthly survey conducted by Angus Reid on behalf of Restaurants Canada with a nationally representative sample of 1,500 Canadians who are members of the online Angus Reid Forum.
Restaurants Canada’s Consumer Dining Index is calculated as a weighted average of the number of times Canadians purchased a meal or snack from a restaurant in the past month, and then indexed to July 2023.
For the latest report, click here.
An exciting new addition in the research page is the Restaurant Industry at a Glance dashboard, an interactive model displaying the latest sales data of the restaurant industry. This dashboard is updated monthly, relaying nominal and real sales as well as year-over-year and year-to-date growth. It can be filtered by sector and region. More in depth analysis of the data can be found in the Fast Facts reports below the dashboard.
Click here to explore the dashboard
As the Chief Economist and Vice President of Research for Restaurants Canada, Chris Elliott manages and produces a comprehensive research program that has made Restaurants Canada a leading source of information for and about Canada’s $114-billion foodservice industry. Chris tracks and analyzes key industry and economic indicators and translates them into member reports and publications. He also provides research to support Restaurants Canada’s lobbying efforts on issues that affect foodservice operators – from payroll taxes to food costs.
Chris has worked with Restaurants Canada for over 20 years, has a Bachelor of Arts and Master Degree in Economics and specializes in economic modelling and forecasting.
