Swiss Chalet
 | |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food service |
| Founded | Toronto, Ontario (1954) |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
Key people | Todd Barclay, Edgar Alvarez, Steven Greene, Michael Farley, Abhik Banerji |
| Products | Canadian cuisine |
| Parent | Cara Operations |
| Slogan | Nothing else is Swiss |
| Website | swisschalet.com |
Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1954 in Toronto. As of 2008, there are over 200 Swiss Chalet restaurants in Canada. Swiss Chalet is among the holdings of Cara Operations, which also owns the fast food chain Harvey's. Swiss Chalet and Harvey's franchises share many locations.
Swiss Chalet franchises include a variety of points of sale. Swiss Chalet locations generally include 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. Cara Operations retails Signature Swiss Chalet sauce, 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 down all its Quebec based restaurants and permanently withdrew from the province. Swiss Chalet recently 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.[1]
Menu
The restaurant features a menu that is centered on its signature item, rotisserie chicken. 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 of choice. Other combinations up to and including a whole chicken are also available.
Although chicken dishes make up the majority of the chain's menu (including other dishes like chicken soups, salads, pastas and sandwiches), the menu also features a handful of non-chicken items including pork ribs, fish and chips, burgers, and desserts.
During the Christmas season, Swiss Chalet features a second version of their quarter and full-chicken dinners: the "Festive Special". In addition to the normal meal, the Festive Special adds stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a five-pack of Lindt chocolate truffles. The truffles debuted in 2000, replacing a 100g Toblerone bar.[2]
Advertising slogans
- 1980s–1999; 2009–2015: "Always so good for so little."
- 1999–2003: "Life should taste as good as Swiss Chalet."
- 2004: "Food you can feel good about."
- 2005–2008: "Family happens at Swiss Chalet."
- 2015-present: "Nothing else is Swiss."
See also
- Chicken restaurant
- List of chicken restaurants
- St-Hubert (a similar Quebec-based chain)
References
- ↑ "Onboard Café." Air Canada. Accessed November 4, 2008.
- ↑ Adnews article
External links
Media related to Swiss Chalet at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
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