Shrinkflation hits restaurant diners in Canada

We’ve certainly heard a lot about inflation in the news lately, but how is “shrinkflation” affecting the foodservice industry? According to Sylvain Charlebois, professor at Dalhousie University, shrinkflation is when a food manufacturer reduces the quantities its producing, but sells the product for the same price. Because this practice is increasing, the Canada Revenue Agency […]

A look at today’s rising menu prices

As rising food costs continue to make headlines, many restaurants have raised their menu prices to help find a balance and offset their increased expenses. Rather than simply upping prices across the board, it’s a good time for restaurants to evaluate their margins, engineer their menus, and adjust pricing to better the bottom line. RELATED: […]

Are value items on the menu for 2023?

As many diners seem to be adjusting to rising prices, some restaurants are introducing value items to their menus to attract those consumers looking to eat for less. While some experts are looking at inflation as a catalyst for positive change, other sources are suggesting that lower pricing can help boost profitability. From breakfast additions […]

Food costs continue to soar, even as Canada’s inflation rate slows

Canada’s inflation rate slowed to 6.3 per cent in December (the lowest it’s been since February 2022), with the cost of living declining 0.6 per cent in November and December. According to reports, the reduced rates are directly related to lower gasoline prices, resulting in December’s lowest one-month dip since April 2020. Food prices, however, […]

Will 2023 bring the foodservice industry closer to recovery?

As the foodservice industry continues to move towards a full recovery, restaurants are gearing up for a challenging 2023. Restaurateurs are not especially optimistic, with only 16 per cent expecting profits to increase and 50 per cent preparing to lose money next year. In an effort to boost bottom lines, over 30 per cent have […]

How are restaurants handling the on-going food shortages?

The ongoing inflation and supply chain issues are sending many restaurants scrambling to edit items from their dishes and re-jig their menus to manage food shortages. According to Restaurants Canada, 96 per cent of restaurants have been affected by this issue, struggling to balance cost and menu design with guest expectations. With things like romaine […]

How restaurants are adjusting their menus to stay viable

Confronted with labour shortages, inflation, supply-chain stretches, and other operational challenges, restaurants are having to find a variety of ways to adjust their business model to stay attractive to consumers and stay viable within a competitive industry. Many of those changes have come on menus. Toast’s first Voice of the Restaurant Industry survey found that […]

Which dishes, mealparts have seen the biggest price increases on Canadian menus?

Price increases, price increases, price increases. Those have been the words that have defined not just foodservice but life in general for Canadians over the last few months as the effects of decades-high inflation continue to be felt in every corner. On restaurant menus, everything from appetizers to entrees to sides to drinks has been […]

Canada’s annual food inflation rate at 8.8% in June

Canada’s inflation rate, which has been making unwanted headlines for months, has hit another high-water mark. In June 2022, the annual rate of inflation was 8.1 per cent compared to June 2021, its largest yearly change since January 1983. Food inflation continues to outpace that figure. That figure is up 0.4 per cent from the […]

Complaints about short-staffed restaurants surging in 2022

New data from Yelp has shown that diners are returning to restaurants in droves, flocking to dining rooms in 2022 as the memory of heightened pandemic fears and restrictions fades. That has brought its own problems, though, as complaints about short-staffed restaurants have soared. The new state of the industry report found that customers have […]