Swiss Chalet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the architectural style, see Swiss chalet style. For the defunct American hotel chain, see Susse Chalet.
Swiss Chalet
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryFood service
Founded1954; 68 years ago (1954)
Headquarters
Toronto, Ontario
Key people
Todd Barclay, Edgar Alvarez, Steven Greene, Michael Farley, Abhik Banerji
ProductsRotisserie chicken
Canadian cuisine
ParentRecipe Unlimited
Websiteswisschalet.com

Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants[1] founded in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario.[2] Their website shows exactly 199 locations in Canada across eight provinces (all provinces but Saskatchewan and Quebec); the vast majority of Swiss Chalet locations (162) are in Ontario.[3] Swiss Chalet is among the holdings of Recipe Unlimited, which also owns the fast food chain Harvey's.[4] Swiss Chalet and Harvey's franchises share many locations.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] Recipe Unlimited retails signature Swiss Chalet sauce,[8] gravy, and marinades (as powdered mixes) 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.[9]

In 2010, two of the three remaining Swiss Chalet restaurants in the United States closed. They were located in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York.[10] On June 1, 2011, the only company restaurant operating in Puerto Rico closed, which was the last location in the USA.[11]

The company began a partnership with the Scene+ loyalty program in February 2015.[12]

On March 31, 2016, the company's parent, Cara Operations, announced that it would acquire St-Hubert, a Quebec-based chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants, in the summer of 2016 for CAD$537 million.[13][14][15]

Fare[]

Take-out version of the 1/2 Chicken dinner

Restaurant fare is based upon its signature item, rotisserie chicken.[2][16] The Quarter Chicken Dinner, the restaurant's signature dish, includes a roasted chicken leg or breast with "Chalet Sauce", a bread roll and a side dish.[17] Swiss Chalet's most popular side dish is Chalet fries. Chalet fries were changed in 2015 and again in 2020, to mixed reviews.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Royle, T.; Towers, B. (2004). Labour Relations in the Global Fast-Food Industry. Taylor & Francis. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-134-59762-8. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Giorno, Frank (2016-12-22). "2017 brings two favourites Harvey's and Swiss Chalet to Timmins' dining menu". Timmins Today. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  3. ^ "All Swiss Chalet Locations in Canada | Swiss Chalet | Swiss Chalet Restaurant | Restaurant | Rotisserie Chicken | Chicken | Delivery | Food Delivery | Takeout".
  4. ^ The Financial Post Survey of Industrials. Maclean-Hunter. 1991. pp. 169–171. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  5. ^ David Paddon (2016-03-31). "In rotisserie chicken marriage, owner of Swiss Chalet buys St-Hubert for $537M". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  6. ^ Relph, E. (2015). Rational Landscapes and Humanistic Geography. Routledge Revivals. Taylor & Francis. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-317-37366-7. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "Cara Reports Q3 2017 Results". Business Insider. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  8. ^ Lau, Andree (February 23, 2017). "Swiss People Try Swiss Chalet Sauce, Insult Canada In A Neutral Way". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  9. ^ "Onboard Café" (PDF). Air Canada. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
  10. ^ "Swiss Chalet lovers trek over the border to get their fix". The Buffalo News. 2013-05-11. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  11. ^ "A la quiebra Swiss Chalet". El Nuevo Día. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2017-11-05 – via Elnuevodia.com.
  12. ^ Chung, Matthew (2015-02-17). "Cara adds Scene loyalty to its menu". Media in Canada. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  13. ^ "Swiss Chalet owner's purchase of St-Hubert chicken chain riles Quebecers". CBC News. March 31, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  14. ^ Paddon, David (2016-03-31). "In rotisserie chicken marriage, owner of Swiss Chalet buys St-Hubert for $537M". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  15. ^ "Cara announces purchase of St-Hubert". investorroom.com. March 31, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  16. ^ Patel, Arti (April 15, 2015). "What Dietitians Would Eat At Swiss Chalet". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  17. ^ Sturgeon, Jamie (February 3, 2016). "Chicken dinner demand softening at Swiss Chalet thanks to oil slump. Really". Global News. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
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