Would you like fries with that? Islanders prefer food with their drink

When it comes to going out for a drink, Prince Edward Islanders are more likely than most Canadians to have something to eat on the side, a new report from Statistics Canada suggests.

The report found that while there are hundreds of licensed establishments on P.E.I., only 14 or 15 qualified as drinking places.

The low number is connected with how Statistics Canada defines a drinking place.

The report uses revenue figures to determine whether an establishment be it a lounge, restaurant, microbrewery or club derives most of its revenuefrom selling alcoholic beverages by the glass. If it does, that's a drinking place. If it doesn't then it's a restaurant, or brewery, or something else.

By that definition, per capita, P.E.I. has the third lowest number of drinking places among the provinces.

At 0.98 per 10,000 residents, it is about two thirds the national rate of 1.49.

Newfoundland and Labrador's is the highest, with a density almost four times P.E.I.'s and more than eight times the density ofManitoba, which has the lowest amongthe provinces.

The P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission had 556 liquor licences on the books on Tuesday. This would include some establishments with more than one licence, such as a club or lounge with a dining room licence.

The list includes 175 dining rooms, 105 lounges, six distilleries, five microbreweries, 20 military and three tourist home licences.

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