From coast to coast, more than a million Canadians serve up our meals, making the restaurant industry a colossal economic engine that employs one in every fifteen people in the nation.
Key Takeaways
- The Canadian food services and drinking places industry employed 1,135,100 people in 2023
- Full-service restaurants in Canada employed 542,300 workers as of late 2023
- Limited-service eating places (fast food) accounted for 489,100 employees in the Canadian market
- Youth aged 15-24 account for 41% of all restaurant industry employees in Canada
- The restaurant industry is the top employer for first-time job seekers in Canada
- Women represent 53% of the total workforce in Canadian food services
- Average hourly wage for food service workers in Canada reached $18.55 in Q1 2024
- Real wages in the restaurant sector grew by 5.1% year-over-year in 2023
- There were 65,000 job vacancies in the Canadian food services sector for Q4 2023
- Food and Beverage Servers represent 342,000 employees nationwide
- Cooks number roughly 220,000 in the Canadian labor force
- Food Counter Attendants and Kitchen Helpers count for 280,000 positions
- Canadian restaurants generate $100 billion in annual sales via their employees
- The food service industry contributes 4% of Canada’s total GDP
- Average sales per employee in full-service restaurants is $85,000 annually
Canada's restaurant industry employs over a million people and is a major national job creator.
Demographic and Social Composition
- Youth aged 15-24 account for 41% of all restaurant industry employees in Canada
- The restaurant industry is the top employer for first-time job seekers in Canada
- Women represent 53% of the total workforce in Canadian food services
- Men represent 47% of the total workforce in Canadian food services
- Visible minorities make up 34% of the restaurant and food services workforce
- Immigrants account for nearly 29% of the total workforce in food services
- Indigenous people represent approximately 4% of the industry’s employees
- Approximately 22% of restaurant employees are students working while in school
- 18% of the restaurant workforce is aged 45-64
- 5% of restaurant industry workers are aged 65 and over
- The industry employs over 250,000 new Canadians annually
- Over 50% of Canadian restaurant owners started their careers as entry-level employees
- The food services sector is the largest employer of high school students in Quebec
- 12% of restaurant employees in Ontario identify as South Asian
- 9% of the workforce in BC’s restaurant sector identifies as Chinese
- The percentage of temporary foreign workers in the restaurant sector increased to 8% in 2024
- 31% of the workforce in limited-service restaurants are regular students
- About 60% of entry-level workers in the industry have no prior work experience
- 15% of the total restaurant workforce possesses a tertiary university degree
- Approximately 10% of restaurant employees work in rural or remote communities
- 25% of female employees in the industry hold supervisor or management roles
- 228,000 young workers in the sector are aged between 15 and 19 years old
- Filipino workers represent the third-largest immigrant group in food services
- Average tenure for a restaurant worker in Canada is 2.4 years
- The industry provides jobs for 1 out of every 15 Canadians
- 33% of workers in the sector identify as visible minorities in British Columbia
- 7% of restaurant employees are seasonal or temporary hires
- 48% of employees in full-service restaurants are male
- The percentage of employees identifying as LGBTQ+ is estimated at 6% in the service sector
- 40% of kitchen staff in major urban centers are foreign-born
Demographic and Social Composition Interpretation
The Canadian restaurant industry is a vibrant and essential engine of first chances, where a young, diverse majority learns the world of work by serving it, all while balancing more part-time identities than a superhero with a day job.
Economic Impact and Productivity
- Canadian restaurants generate $100 billion in annual sales via their employees
- The food service industry contributes 4% of Canada’s total GDP
- Average sales per employee in full-service restaurants is $85,000 annually
- Average sales per employee in limited-service restaurants is $92,000 annually
- Profit margins for restaurants with hired staff average 3.7%
- Commercial food services spent $35 billion on wages and benefits in 2023
- Employment in food services accounts for 6.4% of all Canadian employees
- 22% of total retail/service jobs in Canada are in restaurants
- Employee productivity in food services grew by 0.5% in 2023
- For every $1 million in restaurant sales, 15 jobs are created
- Direct economic contribution of restaurant employees to Ontario is $35 billion
- Restaurant employees spend 70% of their income in their local communities
- The sector pays $6 billion in payroll taxes annually
- 1 in 5 Canadians report having worked in the restaurant industry at some point
- Employee counts in drive-thru specialized units increased by 12% since 2020
- ghost kitchens employ an estimated 2,500 people in Canada
- 80,000 employees are involved in catering for high-volume events
- Digital ordering integration has decreased employee-to-customer ratios by 10%
- Average staff occupancy rate in Canadian bars is 75% of capacity
- Corporate tax paid by the employer per employee averages $4,500
- 4.8% of the workforce in Quebec is in food and beverage services
- Employee count in the industry decreased by 300,000 during the pandemic lows
- Repercussions of industrial action (strikes) affected <1% of employees in 2023
- Inflation-adjusted restaurant spending per employee is down 2% from 2019
- The industry supports $15 billion in secondary economic activity (suppliers)
- Mobile food services (food trucks) employ 4,500 people
- Restaurant employment growth in the Maritimes outperformed the national average in 2023
- 18% of the workforce is concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area
- Total industry hours worked annually exceeds 1.3 billion hours
- 95% of restaurants are independent or small franchisees employing local staff
Economic Impact and Productivity Interpretation
Canada's restaurant industry is a high-volume, low-margin engine of the economy, where armies of staff—from ghost kitchens to food trucks—serve a $100 billion feast, yet they must squeeze $92,000 from every limited-service employee just to pocket a sliver of profit.
Industry Size and Workforce Volume
- The Canadian food services and drinking places industry employed 1,135,100 people in 2023
- Full-service restaurants in Canada employed 542,300 workers as of late 2023
- Limited-service eating places (fast food) accounted for 489,100 employees in the Canadian market
- The drinking places (bars and pubs) sector employed approximately 38,400 people across Canada
- Special food services (catering and mobile) employed 65,300 individuals in the Canadian landscape
- Ontario holds the largest share of restaurant employees with over 430,000 workers in the sector
- Quebec's restaurant workforce represents approximately 20% of the national total with 225,000 employees
- British Columbia employs roughly 190,000 people in the food and beverage services sector
- Alberta's restaurant industry supports a workforce of approximately 145,000 individuals
- Manitoba employs approximately 42,000 people in the food services and accommodation sector
- Saskatchewan’s restaurant workforce totals nearly 38,000 employees
- Nova Scotia accounts for approximately 31,000 employees in the core restaurant sector
- New Brunswick has roughly 24,000 workers employed in food services
- Prince Edward Island employs approximately 7,500 people in the food and accommodation industry
- Newfoundland and Labrador’s restaurant workforce comprises about 15,000 individuals
- The Yukon, NWT, and Nunavut collectively employ about 4,000 people in food services
- Large restaurant chains (500+ employees) account for 22% of total industry employment
- Small businesses (1-99 employees) employ about 68% of the Canadian restaurant workforce
- Medium-sized enterprises (100-499) make up 10% of the total restaurant employee count
- The average number of employees per restaurant establishment in Canada is 18.5
- Franchise-affiliated restaurants employ an average of 24 people per location
- Independent restaurants average 12 employees per establishment
- Employment in food services grew by 4.2% between 2022 and 2023
- The sector remains the fourth-largest private sector employer in Canada
- Over 1.2 million Canadians are projected to be employed in the industry by 2025
- Roughly 80,000 new jobs were created in the restaurant sector post-pandemic recovery
- Pre-pandemic (2019) employment levels were approximately 1,220,000
- In 2023, the industry saw a 7% increase in the number of female employees
- Part-time employees make up 45% of the total restaurant workforce
- Full-time employees comprise 55% of the workforce in the food services sector
Industry Size and Workforce Volume Interpretation
While Canada's restaurant industry, with its 1.1 million-plus workers, may be fueled by part-time hours and fast-food burgers, it's a full-time economic powerhouse, serving as the country's fourth-largest private employer and proving that the nation truly runs on coffee, poutine, and sheer human hustle.
Labor Market and Compensation
- Average hourly wage for food service workers in Canada reached $18.55 in Q1 2024
- Real wages in the restaurant sector grew by 5.1% year-over-year in 2023
- There were 65,000 job vacancies in the Canadian food services sector for Q4 2023
- The vacancy rate for the industry sits at 5.4%, among the highest in Canada
- Cooks are the most in-demand position with 12,000 active vacancies
- Food counter attendants represent 20,000 open job postings nationally
- Average weekly hours worked per employee in food services is 22.4 hours
- Over 80% of restaurant owners report labor shortages as their top concern
- Tipped employees in Ontario earn an average of $25.50/hour including gratuities
- Management roles in the restaurant industry earn an average of $55,000 per year
- The industry turnover rate remains high at approximately 75% annually
- 35% of Canadian restaurant workers receive employer-sponsored benefits
- Minimum wage increases in 2024 affect approx. 60% of the industry workforce
- Executive chefs in high-end Canadian restaurants earn between $70k-$110k annually
- Kitchen helper wages average $16.75 per hour nationally
- 14,000 unique employers posted jobs for bartenders in 2023
- Labor costs typically account for 30% to 35% of a restaurant's total revenue
- Training costs per new entry-level employee average $2,500 in Canada
- The industry added 22,000 jobs in May 2024 alone
- 42% of employees in the sector work more than one job
- Only 2% of restaurant employees are unionized in Canada
- Over 15% of staff in BC restaurants are recruited via personal networks
- 1.5% of total employment growth in Canada is attributed to the food service sector
- Over 5,000 restaurant workers were impacted by wildfires in Alberta in 2023
- Wage growth for dishwashers reached 8% in 2023 due to staff shortages
- The gender pay gap in the restaurant sector is approximately 8% (hourly)
- 110,000 workers in the industry have worked for the same employer for over 5 years
- 28% of employees in the industry work overtime occasionally
- Apprenticeship registrations for cooks increased by 10% in 2022
- Recruitment for the sector through social media has risen by 25% since 2021
Labor Market and Compensation Interpretation
Despite restaurants desperately trying to fill a sea of empty shifts with higher wages and a shorter workweek, they're caught in a loop where high costs, high turnover, and a mountain of vacancies mean your burger now essentially comes with a side of economic tension.
Occupational Roles and Specialization
- Food and Beverage Servers represent 342,000 employees nationwide
- Cooks number roughly 220,000 in the Canadian labor force
- Food Counter Attendants and Kitchen Helpers count for 280,000 positions
- Restaurant and Food Service Managers total 102,000 across Canada
- Chefs (Executive, Sous, Specialist) account for 45,000 employees
- Maîtres d'hôtel and Hosts/Hostesses account for 18,000 employees
- Bartenders represent 56,000 employees in the Canadian market
- Delivery drivers employed directly by restaurants total 25,000
- Bakers in restaurants and professional kitchens total 31,000
- Food service supervisors account for 78,000 workers in Canada
- Approximately 12,000 people are employed as sommeliers or wine specialists
- Pastry chefs make up 8,500 of the total chef workforce
- Dishwashers represent approximately 65,000 workers in Canada
- In-house security and bouncers for bars total about 12,000
- Corporate roles for restaurant HQ (HR, Finance) total 20,000
- Banquet servers for hotel-based restaurants total 35,000
- Food and beverage tasters and graders account for 3,000 employees
- Dining room attendants and busboys total 40,000 across Canada
- Coffee shop baristas (specific to non-limited service) total 55,000
- Operations managers for restaurant groups total 5,000
- Sous-chefs represent 15,000 of the 45k chef total
- Butcher specialists within restaurant staff total 2,000
- Event coordinators within large restaurant venues total 4,000
- Drive-thru operators represent 15% of the limited-service workforce
- Line cooks at casual dining grills represent 80,000 employees
- Breakfast specialty cooks total 12,000 nationwide
- Prep cooks total 45,000 in Canadian kitchens
- Fine-dining servers account for 10% of the server population
- Take-out only establishment employees total 22,000
- Ethnic restaurant specialty chefs total 28,000
Occupational Roles and Specialization Interpretation
Canada's restaurant industry, with over 1.5 million people, runs on a clear if sometimes sobering hierarchy: an enormous base of servers, cooks, and attendants supports the delicate pyramid where, for every one executive chef crafting a masterpiece, there are roughly eight dishwashers ensuring the next plate is spotless.
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