Last year, menu prices in Canada rose 4.2 %, the largest one-year increase since the introduction of goods and services tax (GST) in 1991.
According to the 2019 Food Service Facts published by Restaurants Canada last week, rising labor costs driven by minimum wage increases and a shortage of workers were the main drivers of menu-price inflation. But it is arguably a reliably strong demand for ready-to-eat meals that allows restaurateurs to pass on those extra costs to consumers.
Despite steeper prices, annual sales in 2018 grew by more than five percent, with growth exceeding five percent in the fifth consecutive year. The industry is now approaching annual sales of $90 billion, up from 2017 a whopping $4.3 billion.
Restaurant spending per capita barely budged in 2018— a year that saw home prices cooling and a volatile stock market. On a household basis, restaurant spending has increased by more than $670 between 2010 and 2017, the latest year available for data. Meanwhile, the average household grocery bill has increased over the same period by just over $200.
But how can Canadians afford everything they can dine in and order in?
They are often not a Toronto financial planner and author of Living Debt-Free, according to Shannon Lee Simmons. For many, she said, food has become a big budget buster.
Lee Simmons attributes three main factors to the extra expenditure. The first is food delivery apps that make it so easy to pay for restaurant meals that you hardly even notice.
"Ordering food nowadays is so easy and you don't even have to think about it or swipe your card anymore," she said via email to Global News.
According to the report by Restaurants Canada, sales of delivery restaurants have grown by an eye-popping 44 percent over 2017.
And Canadians also have so much more choice, Lee Simmons said, when it comes to food delivery compared to ten years ago.
But the other main reason people outsource food preparation more and more is busy schedules, she added.
"Apps, prepared food and delivery services are so demanding because people feel they have no time to plan and cook meals," she said.
This seems to be the case for the 40-year-old crowd. More than 70 percent of adults born between 1977 and 2000 reported eating a restaurant meal at least once a week— and saving time was the main reason why, based on Techonomic research, Restaurants Canada reported.
If restaurant food eats too much of your budget, there are two simple tips for Lee Simmons.
The first is to make the use of food delivery a little more uncomfortable. Take food delivery apps off your phone and remove information about your credit card from the sites that let you order in, she said. It can make a difference just a little bit of extra friction.
Second, you're going to need a plan if you have a packed schedule but want to cook more, she said.
However, the problem with meal planning is that the internet is packed with complicated, over - the-top advice that leads many to throw in the towel— or napkin— before they even start.
Kate Etue, editor at Cool Mom Eats, said the key to meal planning on a crammed schedule is to keep it realistic.
Etue, who has four children, recommends that you stick to simple meals using a limited number of familiar ingredients. She also recommends that recipes be used as "inspiration" instead of being followed to the letter.
If your dish calls for a $8-a-bottle saffron sprinkle, she said, you might be able to skip that. She noted that spices tend to be a major inflator of the food bills of people.
Cooking more than you need is also a clear time-saver, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat the same meal twice in a row.
"You can turn the leftovers into tacos one day in the crockpot, the next night," she said.
Etue said she usually plans on Monday— her quiet day — for a week's meal, although she usually allows one meal away from home. She also makes her list of groceries as she writes down the menu of the family. She then puts on the fridge the meal plan, so everyone knows what to expect.
Lee Simmons advises beginners to start small with meal plans.
"Try to cook two meals a week for lunch the next day as well. That's what it is, "she said. "When this becomes a habit, add a third night and so on."
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