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Even as Alberta restaurant sales hit record highs, hospitality sector voices warn that number hides the truth about minimum wage — which took its final jump to $15 on Monday in Alberta.

“It’s been pretty bad for us. And overall for the industry as such,” said Mike Bhatnagar, owner of the longtime Jasper Avenue staple, The Hat.

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Restaurant receipts recently touted by the Alberta Federation of Labour’s Gil McGowan are only part of the story. The AFL president tweeted at the end of August that if Alberta’s increased minimum wage was really bad for business, then the restaurant industry would be hurting.

“But it’s not. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s thriving,” stated McGowan’s Aug. 28 tweet.

Statistics Canada figures support that perspective. Alberta enjoyed record restaurant sales in June, with receipts ringing in at $788 million — 2.3 per cent higher than June 2017.

But Restaurants Canada notes that figure doesn’t take into account “menu inflation.” Restaurants have raised their prices, thereby increasing sales receipts. Factor in a national menu inflation rate of 4.3 per cent, and real sales receipts in Alberta were down by nearly two per cent in the first six months of 2018, says the organization which represents 30,000 businesses nationwide.