From the State of the Nation to the F-Word, CRILS delivered the latest on the industry’s most topical issues!

The Canadian Restaurant Investment & Leadership Summit brought together senior leaders and industry experts from across the country to discuss topics from sales and traffic volumes to real estate and yes, “What makes you say ‘F’?”.

Speakers included executives from large established and iconic brands to younger, rapidly growing ones, plus industry leaders and experts in finance, marketing, franchising and more. With that broad range of skills and experience, they were able to address trends and challenges within the restaurant industry from almost every angle.

You can learn more about the Restaurant Summit on their website:

Key insights included :

• 300 net new restaurants opened in Canada in 2022 alone, and all provinces had double-digit growth in commercial foodservice sales in both 2021 and 2022
• Traffic rates have exceeded historic levels and the industry reached 2019 levels in Q2 2023, but growth is slowing
• Consumers are beginning to “trade down” in their dining choices, and food court sales and traffic are increasing as consumers return to in-store shopping – but off-premises dining still accounts for 60% of all restaurant visits
• Independent restaurants are making a comeback, so real estate demand is high while supply is low due to increased construction costs – the result is a focus on renovations rather than new builds
• Top guest satisfaction drivers are food and service, with guests seeking improved quality and better off-premise service selections
• Some of the interesting concepts for the future include no touch ordering, robots as servers, and more
• And what would make you say the F-word? Apparently, a lack of local, craft non-alcoholic beer options to drive increased sales!

We’re proud we were able to sponsor and participate in the Canadian Restaurant Investment & Leadership Summit again in 2023. It’s one of the ways we grow and learn alongside you as we recruit for the Canadian restaurant industry from our offices across the country.

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