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 frequently share locations. Some locations are more akin to fast food restaurants.
Swiss Chalet claims that the restaurant's signature rotisserie chicken dish is based on a Swiss recipe.
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 to make place for a condominium development.
The stores' points of sale variously include in-store dining rooms, drive-through windows, take-out counters, delivery, and a website for online food ordering. Cara Operations retails Signature Swiss Chalet sauce, gravy, and marinade (as powdered mixes) in Canadian supermarkets.
The Quarter Chicken Dinner, the restaurant's signature dish, comprises a roasted chicken leg or breast with "Chalet Sauce", a bread roll, and a side dish. Swiss Chalet's side dishes include lightly breaded french fries, baked potatoes, green salad, white rice, coleslaw, and vegetable medley. During the Christmas season, Swiss Chalet sells a modified version of this dinner: the Festive Special. The Festive Special supplements the normal side dish option with stuffing, cranberry relish, and a wrapped chocolate. Other entrees include a Half Chicken Dinner of a chicken leg or chicken breast and wing, side dish, bread roll and Chalet Sauce; the Double Leg Dinner including 2 chicken legs, side, bread roll and Chalet Sauce; the smoky bbq pork ribs which comes sized in third, half and full rack; and the Quarter Chicken and Rib Combo comprises one third of a rack of ribs added to a typical Quarter Chicken Dinner.
For the French-speaking Quebec market, Cara Operations re-branded Swiss Chalet to Chalet Suisse, but later ceded to the market dominance of competing restaurant chains St-Hubert and Scores. There are no Swiss Chalet franchises in Saskatchewan.
In 2008, Air Canada added Swiss Chalet food products to its buy-on-board menu.
Read more about Swiss Chalet: Advertising Slogans
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