Swiss Chalet is a Canadianchain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario. As of 2015, there are over 200 Swiss Chalet restaurants in Canada. Swiss Chalet is among the holdings of Recipe Unlimited, which also owns the fast food chainHarvey's. Swiss Chalet and Harvey's franchises share many locations. Swiss Chalet franchises include a variety of points of sale. The company's locations generally have an architectural alpine theme, a dining room, a take-out counter, and delivery. Some feature drive-thru windows while other locations in certain urban areas are only take-out counters and are more akin to fast food restaurants. The brand also has an online food ordering system. Recipe Unlimited retails signature Swiss Chalet sauce, gravy, and marinades in Canadian supermarkets.
History
The first Swiss Chalet restaurant, at 234 Bloor Street West in Toronto, operated for 52 years. The building featured exposed-beam ceilings in the Swiss chalet style. This store closed in 2006 and was demolished in 2009 as part of a condominium development. In the early 2000s, Cara Operations closed all of its Quebec and US based restaurants. The company returned to Saskatchewan with a location in south Regina, although this location no longer shows on their website. In 2008, Air Canada added Swiss Chalet food products to its buy-on-board menu. In 2010, two of the three remaining Swiss Chalet restaurants in the US closed. They were located in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York. On June 1, 2011, the only company restaurant operating in Puerto Rico closed, which was the last location in the US. The company began a partnership with the Sceneloyalty program in February 2015. On March 31, 2016, the company's parent, Cara Operations, announced that it will acquire St-Hubert, a Quebec-based chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants, in the summer of 2016 for CAD$537 million.
Fare
Restaurant fare is based upon its signature item, rotisserie chicken. The QuarterChicken Dinner, the restaurant's signature dish, includes a roasted chicken leg or breast with "Chalet Sauce", a bread roll and a side dish. The company also purveys some non-chicken items, such as ribs, rotisserie beef, burgers and poutine.
