Winter 2012 was a strong quarter for the Canadian food service industry, according to The NPD Group , a leading market research company. The total restaurant visits across the country increased by four per cent compared to the same quarter a year ago, an all-time high for the winter quarter (December, January and February). The winter quarter also signalled the third consecutive quarter of strong performance for Canadian commercial foodservice, which posted a five per cent increase in dollars, the strongest sales increase of the past four years.