2026 Chain Compensation Survey
Planning is now underway for the 2026 Chain Compensation Survey – the most valuable compensation planning tool available anywhere for the Canadian restaurant industry.
Restaurants Canada is proud to once again partner with Mercer in conducting the 2026 Canada Retail Compensation and Benefits Survey. The survey will be a valuable resource for organizations in both the restaurant & retail industry, providing insights into compensation and benefits practices that can help inform your decision-making and improve competitiveness. Last year’s survey had 150+ leading retail & restaurants participants, and about half a million incumbent records. Of those, 11 were large restaurant chains.
Motivate and attract top talent based on data from the Canada Retail Compensation and Benefits Survey, which provides data for 560 jobs across numerous position families, including retail, hospitality, supply chain, sales & marketing, customer service, and much more. Evaluate your pay rates and compensation strategy against 160+ organizations, or narrow the data by individual parameters such as industry sectors, company size, and location. Go beyond pay for your retail & restaurant employees, with survey data on:
- Base salary
- Short-term incentives
- Total cash compensation
- Policies and Practices
Mercer, a Marsh business, is a leading HR consulting firm with offices across Canada. Their proven methodologies and processes allow them to conduct surveys efficiently and effectively, while providing high-quality, relevant results. Click here to find out more about the survey, and here to learn more about Mercer.
As a participant in the survey, you’ll receive:
- Annual survey of 560+ jobs,
- Policy & Practices Section
- Job matching meeting
- Ongoing support from a dedicated Mercer team
- Results available online in Mercer WIN, as well as Excel and PDF Reports
- Ability to refine survey results in Mercer WIN
- Presentation of results and networking meeting (in-person)
Data is collected from March 3rd to April 25th, with survey results available in September. The cost to participate will be $3,100 per company.
Please complete our quick poll by Friday, March 13, to confirm your interest. Bruno Balanza from Mercer will be your go-to contact with any participation questions. You can reach Bruno at bruno.balanza@mercer.com.
Questions or concerns? Send an email to Chris Elliott at celliott@restaurantscanada.org
As the Chief Economist and Vice President of Research for Restaurants Canada, Chris Elliott manages and produces a comprehensive research program that has made Restaurants Canada a leading source of information for and about Canada’s $125-billion foodservice industry. Chris tracks and analyzes key industry and economic indicators and translates them into member reports and publications. He also provides research to support Restaurants Canada’s lobbying efforts on issues that affect foodservice operators – from payroll taxes to food costs.
Chris has worked with Restaurants Canada for over 20 years, has a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree in Economics and specializes in economic modelling and forecasting.
