Canadian restaurants are more than places to eat, they’re where people gather, connect and spend time together.
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people → eat → time
Today, OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant technology, released its first-ever Canadian Restaurant Impact Report, examining the broader impact of dining out on Canadians and the communities around them.
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OpenTable → release → them
With dining in Canada up 13% year-over-year according to OpenTable data,¹ restaurants’ impact is only growing.
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impact → accord → OpenTable
Full restaurants can drive spending and foot traffic for surrounding businesses, support jobs, and create spaces where people celebrate, reconnect and become regulars.
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people → drive → spaces
Among the findings:
- Dining out has an economic ripple effect: Half of Canadian diners (50%) say they have spent money at another nearby business before or after a meal at a local restaurant, spending an additional $133 on average on activities such as shopping or going to the cinema.²
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they → din → activities
- Restaurants foster community and connection: 89% of Canadian diners agree that local restaurants, pubs and cafés help build a sense of community, while 83% agree that dining out locally brings people together and enhances personal and social well-being.²
- Supporting restaurants goes beyond the check: 71% of Canadian diners agree that not turning up for a reservation seriously harms a restaurant’s business, and nearly half (45%) say understanding the financial cost to restaurants would make them more likely to show up or properly cancel a booking.²
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them → foster → restaurants
On average, diners estimate that a no-show for two costs a restaurant $75.90.²
“Restaurants are woven into the fabric of communities across Canada - the setting for milestone celebrations, everyday meals, and the local economies and neighbourhoods they help sustain,” said Eric Kemppi, Director of Restaurant Sales and Service at OpenTable Canada.
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Kemppi → estimate → Canada
“OpenTable’s first-ever Canadian Restaurant Impact Report puts that impact into focus and reflects our commitment to advocating for the restaurants that make it all possible.”
Restaurants Fuel Local Economies
A meal out at a restaurant often ripples beyond the table, helping bring spending into the surrounding neighbourhood.
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meal → put → neighbourhood
Across Canada, 91% of restaurants agree they play an important role in their local economy.³
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they → agree → role
Additionally, 50% of Canadians spend money at neighbouring businesses before or after dining out, rising to 61% among millennials and 65% among Gen Z.²
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% → spend → millennials
Restaurants also create opportunities within their communities.
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Restaurants → create → communities
Half (50%) of restaurant workers say their restaurant hires young people without formal qualifications, 37% employ people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, and 32% employ refugees or recently arrived
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% → say → refugees
Restaurants Drive Community and Personal Wellbeing
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Restaurants → drive → Community
Restaurants offer Canadians more than a meal, giving them a place to celebrate, connect and feel part of their community.
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Restaurants → offer → community
Eighty-nine percent of diners agree that local restaurants, pubs and cafés help build a sense of community, while 58% say they are likely to book a meal out to feel better or reconnect with people when feeling stressed or low.²
“The 2025 World Happiness Report found that sharing meals is strongly associated with greater life satisfaction and more positive emotions.
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sharing → agree → satisfaction
In fact, the frequency of shared meals was as useful an indicator of well-being as income and employment status,” said Dr. Gillian Mandich, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba.
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Mandich → share → Manitoba
“Choosing a restaurant and looking forward to it can generate anticipation, while remembering it afterward extends the enjoyment.”
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remembering → choose → enjoyment
Hospitality Works Both Ways
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Hospitality → work → ?
For restaurants, every reservation informs decisions behind the scenes, from staffing and food preparation to whether another diner can take the table.
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diner → inform → table
Yet while 71% of Canadians understand that failing to show up for a reservation can have a significant impact on a restaurant’s business, 20% of diners say they have no-showed at least once in the past year, rising to 43% among Gen Z.²
On average, Canadian restaurant operators say a no-show table for two costs restaurants $91,³ while diners estimate a lower cost of $75.90.²
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diners → understand → 75.90.²
The difference reflects the impact restaurants see firsthand, from wasted food and overstaffed shifts to other guests who could have filled the table.
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who → reflect → table
Nearly half (45%) of diners say that understanding the true financial impact would make them more likely to attend or cancel their booking.²
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them → say → impact
The great news is that Canadian diners are stepping up, with overall no-show rates down 4% year-over-year⁴ and 47% said they have never failed to cancel a reservation.²
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they → step → reservation.²
OpenTable is working to make the relationship between diner and restaurant even easier to navigate.
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relationship → work → diner
Diners can quickly modify or cancel reservations when plans change and even direct message restaurants within the app.
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plans → modify → app
Restaurants can use tools including deposits and credit card holds, prepaid Experiences, automated confirmations and reminders, online waitlists and Notify Me to manage demand and minimize no-shows.
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Restaurants → use → shows
For diners, supporting restaurants can be as simple as showing up or cancelling as soon as plans change.
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plans → support → restaurants
Because when a table is filled, the impact extends far beyond the restaurant, helping the people, businesses and neighbourhoods around it thrive.
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people → fill → it
OpenTable looked at seated diners and average spend per person from online reservations for same store restaurants on the OpenTable platform in Canada from 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 and compared it to the same time period in 2024/2025 (2 July 2024 - 1 July 2025).
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OpenTable → look → 2024/2025
An online survey was conducted by Ripple Research among 1503 CA general consumers who dine out, with a quota of 200 for major cities.
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who → conduct → cities
Fieldwork was carried out between 28 July 2026 and 4 August 2026.
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Fieldwork → carry → July
All data was collected in accordance with MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines, ensuring ethical standards and robust data quality.
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data → collect → standards
An online survey was conducted by Ripple Research among 305 CA restaurant workers.
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survey → conduct → workers
Fieldwork was carried out between 28 July 2026 and 4 August 2026.
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Fieldwork → carry → July
All data was collected in accordance with MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines, ensuring ethical standards and robust data quality.
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data → collect → standards
OpenTable looked at no show diner rates from online reservations for same store restaurants on the OpenTable platform in Canada from 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 and compared it to the same time period in 2024/25 (2 July 2024 - 1 July 2025).
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OpenTable → look → 2024/25
About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), helps more than 70,000 restaurants worldwide fill 2 billion seats a year.
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restaurants → help → seats
OpenTable’s world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.
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what → empower → occasion
The Aporia
