Restaurants ‘under pressure’
Happy hour outings are on Jackie Piggott’s calendar — but even those are fewer. She and her husband might visit a restaurant once a month. It’s a change over the […]
Restaurants in Manitoba are feeling the pressure due to higher living costs and tougher economic decisions being made by Canadians. According to a new Restaurants Canada report, 80 percent of Canadians are eating out less frequently because of these costs, up from 75 percent in 2025. The average Manitoban is spending four percent less at restaurants than in 2019 when adjusted for inflation and population growth.
Sales this year wouldn't beat 2019, and restaurants may fail if they don't raise menu prices or adapt otherwise as input costs rise. Brazen Hall Kitchen and Brewery president Kristjan Kristjansson has planned for a $70,000 annual increase to payroll due to higher minimum wage and other rising costs. Some restaurants are operating on reduced schedules, and the industry has had years of positive signs and high-profile openings, but it's a fight to manage.
Restaurants are leaning more into happy hours, and some are seeing increased sales this year compared to last.
Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
