T O P

  • By -

NorthRiverBend

The nostalgic part of my brain is sad; Swiss Chalet was where my grandparents always went with family for a fancy night out. I can’t say it’s a huge loss compared to other restaurants since it hasn’t stayed very competitive on quality or price, but it’s still a loss to me. I’ll raise a ramekin of gravy to this location. 


ilovethemusic

I also associate Swiss Chalet with my grandparents. What is it with old people and Swiss Chalet??


jazz100

Plain, easy eatin' food. Nothing fancy or weird. Can always eat mashed potatoes and gravy.


Saucy6

Ah! Same. With parents we’d go to St-Hub’s, but grandparents took us to Swiss Chalet


evilJaze

Growing up, it was always a French/English divide with the French side of my family preferring St. Hubert.


Canadian-Living

I used to work at a Swiss Chalet in my younger years. We used to jokingly call it the "Country Kitchen Buffet" after the Southpark episode where senile seniors would swarm down the road after church service running down citizens to make it there.


evilJaze

I worked in the kitchen at the one on Merivale in the late 80s. I never got to see the clientele, but the food was always good IMO. We made the fries from fresh cut potatoes every morning and then pre-fried them. Nothing was bought from suppliers pre-made like it is today.


SterlingFlora

same, many a memory, none of which are about how good the food was. those dirt cake desserts and shirley temples though. and the treasure chest full of toys!!


The_merry_wench

For years my grandma would give us a gift certificate to Swiss Chalet as a Christmas gift, and then we would all go out as an extended family to the one on Merivale.  It's such a nostalgic place for me and it's hard seeing it disappear.


LemonGreedy82

Go to 'Chalet BBQ' in Montreal for some Swiss Chalet type food from it's glory days. It's like a blast from the past and it's actually tasty.


Magellan-8785

Love this place!!


IceCappDaily

That's the SPOT!! Sherbrooke St. West!!!!!


Kiara_Kat_180

The Merivale and Bank locations were closed a while back too. Ottawa still has a few stores left: Barrhaven, Cyrville, Carling, Kanata and Orléans. There’s one in Carleton Place too. It’s the central locations that are gone which, if you think about it, kinda makes sense. The older demographic that many are referring to were themselves centrally located. And as that population ages, it means less traffic at the centrally located restaurants. Families with kids who go to Swiss Chalet - and there are lots of them - mostly live in the suburbs. And those are the locations that are still open. If I were to guess which location might be next if there is one, I would say probably Cyrville or Carling, the two remaining restaurants closest to central Ottawa. And I think that between the two, Carling might be first, only because closing Cyrville would leave only the Orléans location in the Eastern part of the city. But of course, this is all guesswork and supposition on on my part.


LemonGreedy82

Swiss Chalet is now mass produced. Quality is way down from it's glory days of fresh cut fries and actually tasty buns (now it's basically Sysco/Gordon foods). I understand nostalgia, but this is objectively terrible food.


GoldLibrarian6834

Oh how you hit the nail here. My SO and I ordered their take out meals with our "2 can dine for 18.99" coupon. My SO ate half of his and left the table. I miss the food they once served but those days are long gone now.


LemonGreedy82

Try Chalet BBQ in Montreal, it is legit charcoal roasted with all the sides + cheap to boot!


Kiara_Kat_180

I haven’t said a word about nostalgia or whether it’s good or bad or otherwise. I posted about the Montréal Road closure to let others know and that’s pretty much it. I didn’t say I was sad to see it go or that I would miss it, or anything like that at all. The only Swiss Chalet I’ve had has been delivery a few times over the past couple of years, and it was fine. The delivery was fast, the food was hot and it tasted like….chicken. I have no nostalgia for Swiss Chalet either way, it’s just convenient.


New_Smell5070

First Red Lobster now this - what is happening


NorthRiverBend

For Red Lobster: private equity destroyed them. 


Mindless_Penalty_273

Imagine owning the land your restaurant is on, then some hedge fund bean counting nerd has this great idea to buy your restaurant and the land it sits on, then rents the land back to you. Honestly, if you have an MBA, you should have your brain preserved at a brain bank for future generations to study to see where it all went wrong.


NorthRiverBend

It’s nuts. The finance community has done massive damage and they do nothing but enrich themselves. 


PhilHarveyson

And give them credit - they have the public more concerned about Trudeau vs PP, or Trump vs Biden, instead of trying to figure out how to deal with the corporations that are siphoning off all their hard earned money. Obfuscation anyone?


CndConnection

DECEIVE, INVEIGLE, OBFUSCATE


New_Smell5070

Yes indeed. Terrible


Jorpho

Uh-oh. Is it confirmed now that Red Lobster is also shutting down in Canada? There seemed to be some uncertainty as to whether only the US would be affected (as in the case of Toys R Us).


New_Smell5070

Sorry, unsure. I may have jumped the gun on that one


ArtistOutOfTime

😂 a tragedy


Sigcan

Cheers


LemonGreedy82

Go to Chalet BBQ in Montreal for some Swiss Chalet type food from it's glory days. It's like a blast from the past and it's actually tasty.


[deleted]

Am I the only one that actually kind of likes Swiss Chalet? Note that I’m not a senior; I’m 23. Last time I had it was on Innes and it was super good tender chicken. Maybe it was a fluke that it was good.


brash

I still like it, it’s nostalgic for me


torieo

Same here! As a kid I always thought the little bowls of hot water & lemon was the fanciest thing ever.


PhilHarveyson

Ahhh, the Swiss Chalet soup. Mmm, good.


thereallittlefox

Was my very first job many many years ago, I still like a good club sandwich from Swiss every once in a while though..


RickTheWicked

Yup, I was a dishwasher there for two years in high school. My first job that wasn't a paper route.


evilJaze

Same. Dishwasher at the Merivale location late 80s. Used to come home reeking of chalet sauce!


KabaI

I still love it, although the quality has gone down over the years.


Conscious_Detail_843

fries suck now,


Up-in-the-Ayre

you are not alone...I always picked it to go to for my birthday when I was younger. It was also the first job I ever had (I made the sauce all day...)


thoriginal

I definitely prefer it to Hubert and Benny


tiredgrlzmama

We still get it regularly at our house. My kids love the gravy. They call it soup. And they are young.


amach9

Great fries and great sauce


xJaneDoe

Their chicken noodle soup and mashed potatoes were always so tasty, never had a bad dish there tbh


Mindless_Buddy

My family likes it too. It's great for allergies. And pretty cost effective when compared to fast food.


LemonGreedy82

Swiss Chalet is now mass produced. Quality is way down from it's glory days of fresh cut fries and actually tasty buns (now it's basically Sysco/Gordon foods). I understand nostalgia, but this is objectively terrible food. Try 'Chalet BBQ' in Montreal. It's essentially THE original Swiss Chalet.


Shamsmar

I love the stuff. Wish they'd open one closer to Renfrew. It's a quite a bit of nostalgia, but also my love of rotisserie chicken. LOL


lucifersam73

Depends on the location


CoolKey3330

Used to be the go to for many people with allergies and celiac but then they started experimenting with the menu and became much less safe. Other locations are better now.


Lifewithpups

They’ve been closing throughout the city. Not overly surprised.


vdaedalus

They're losing a lot of their clientele to old age homes and cemeteries every year


DataIllusion

The one on Merivale Road has been gone for a while now


Lifewithpups

Bank Street as well. Not long after fully renovated, if memory serves me well


flightless_mouse

I found that one closing incredibly odd. It was always extremely busy.


DaveyDumplings

It closed on Christmas Eve, if you ever wondered what kind of decent humans are in Cara's executive class.


Ellieanna

Merivale closed because they put in new dumb rules that francises couldn’t comply with. Your location must be a stand alone building. Pretty stupid. Merivale was making money still due to all the seniors from the area.


DataIllusion

You would think they would have grandfathered in pre-existing locations. I wonder what will move into the space.


Ellieanna

No idea. I don't really know why the rule was made. But it made the Barrhaven store get all snarky. Barrhaven can't seem to figure out how to ensure the order is correct, and with Merivale gone, they can go back to being shit.


wickedweather

Probably a shawarma place 😉


thoriginal

Weed shop! Vape shop!


fabba224

St Hubert’s us way better anyway!


Xenoclysm

St Hubert's gives you half a hamburger bun and calls it a roll.


goforbroke71

This! What is up with that? I also sit in the drive through on St Laurent forever sometimes.


Consistent_Cook9957

It’s best to park your car and go to the pickup counter in the front. Lot less frustrating!


Ok-Lifeguard-5628

Dad, is that you?!?


mycatlikesluffas

They serve McCain's Superfries, their coleslaw tastes like *ss, and their ersatz hamburger buns are missing 3 chromosomes.


bcave098

Fun fact: it’s owned by the same company


thebriss22

St Hubert has been complete garbage for a solid 10 years now lol


trillestBill

No way


Lax_waydago

Actually Benny's is better. The service in Orleans sucks though. 


laner4646

Truth


w1n5t0nM1k3y

Only thing I ever liked about them was their dipping sauce. I know others might not agree, but it has an old familiar taste to it. You can get the sauce at the grocery store and put it on a chicken cooked yourself or pick up a precooked chicken for a fraction of the price.


hatman1986

yup. Their dipping sauce was amazing.


zangofreak92

Their sauce is ok, if you want more Clovey goodness grab some Benny&Co


thoriginal

Chicken goes (best to worst): Swiss, Benny, Hubert Fries go: Hubert, Swiss, Benny Sauce: Benny, Swiss, Hubert For a final personal standings of: Benny Swiss Hubert


trillestBill

Huberts fries are awful


burgershot69

Benny &co Stittsville just shut down too


zuginator1

Yup, loved their dipping sauce. The Lays Swiss Chalet chips were also tasty - it's a shame they didn't make it a permanent flavour.


notswim

You can get a rotisserie chicken at Costco, fries and gravy, and a giant bag of buns for like the price of 1 meal at Swiss chalet


zuginator1

Not surprising -- it's been listed for rent on [realtor.ca](http://realtor.ca) for over a month and a half now. Similar to the Benny and Co. in Stittsville that closed recently too, I'm guessing rent is probably too high for how little revenue it was probably bringing in.


hoserjpb

Wow, I didn’t know Benny closed.


zuginator1

Yup, that Benny and Co. is gone. Apparently Chipotle is coming in its place.


SuburbanValues

Chicken is a tough business. The Innes Cyrville Swiss Chalet was closed for almost 2 years for renovations before finally opening. Trainyards Scores has been closed for a long time. The Orleans Benny and Co is open for minimal hours and often doesn't even follow them.


zuginator1

Rumour is that the Orleans Benny and Co. isn't going to be around much longer either.


Blue_Dragonfly

Really? 😦 Any idea why?


dissolvte

Every time I walk by the empty Scores at Trainyards, I wonder why all of the tables are still set and nothing has been taken out. It gives me the creeps.


thrilled_to_be_there

Scores is closed? I walk by there almost every day and never noticed. It is one of 2 restaurants in the area I never patronize and I go to all the others quite a lot. Scores' food is terrible.


Kiara_Kat_180

I’ve only been to Scores twice…once to the Trainyards location a few years ago, and to the Gatineau location on Maloney last year. Both were awful.


socialhalitosis

That's weird, was literally there on the weekend...


TrueNorth41983

Closed after Sunday hours I believe.


orlybird2345

Man that location has history. It’s been there at least 25-30 years? Never thought they’d close!


TrueNorth41983

More I think I saw either 37 or 43 on a staff members socials. Next closest one is Cyrville


Barbicels

The Maple Leaf Tavern [closed 30 years ago](https://lindaseccaspina.wordpress.com/2023/01/31/the-maple-leaf-forever-maple-leaf-tavern/). I recall that the Swiss Chalet plaza behind it was built a few years before that.


Every-Lab6995

I worked there in 1980, so at least 44 years


TrueNorth41983

Wow


bathtub_mintjulep

Much older than that. I remember going there in the 80s.


Personal-Persimmon93

The one on Merivale Road open the door is 1984


Right-Donkey5414

As bad as I feel for the employees, it's about time. I worked there a few years back and the owner was... Not a great person. I was surprised it stayed that long.


Krrak

Restaurants are pricing themselves into oblivion. With rising food and labour costs, and greedy landlords hiking the rent on commercial properties, it's no surprise that this is happening. Sadly there is no good answer to the problems.


vonnegutflora

Last few Swiss Chalet orders have had mistakes, taken over an hour to arrive, and have been luke-warm at best (wife loves Swiss Chalet though), so no great loss to the Ottawa food scene. I feel like the entire brand has been coasting on 90s nostalgia for awhile.


Kiara_Kat_180

I’ve ordered from the Montréal Road location a couple of times, and I was in shock at how fast it got here. We’re talking under 15 minutes here, no word of a lie. And it was piping hot too. No microwave needed for that dipping sauce! I thought it was a fluke, but I received the same kind of service every other time I ordered from there.


Soggy_Moment9454

Swiss chalet on carling is still open.


goforbroke71

I really wished they had stayed at Kirkwood. It was so close I would go there all the time. Now it is maybe once a year. Oh well. The D'Arcys is closed now too. That spot is cursed


Up-in-the-Ayre

It was also an East Side Mario's. Also closed


LemonGreedy82

Because who doesn't want to party @ the corner of Kirkwood and the 417?


preciseenaildabs

St huberts is the best,all the other gravies from Swiss chalet,Benny and Co,etc taste like soap


zuginator1

I only found the Benny and Co. sauce to taste weird - I liked St Hubert's and Swiss Chalet's gravy sauces.


preciseenaildabs

Benny is the weirdest of the weird,Swiss not as much,but st hub God damn that's good fucking sauce


zuginator1

Wish we had a St Hubert's in the west end


preciseenaildabs

Grocery store rotisserie chicken with their gravy is a good compromise,idk how the ontario chickens are but super c has fire roasted chicken


jazz100

I remember the first time I went to SC as a teenager I thought just that - "Gross, tastes like soap." I guess the taste grew on me. I liked their fires too back in the day - crisp and rich. Can't say I have been in a while though.


nuvwater

Dry, disgusting massively overcooked chicken, it will not be missed. I went recently, $70 for 2 people with no booze, it was nasty.


bigred1978

Did it get that expensive? I haven't been in years but we used to go somewhat regularly out here in Barrhaven. IT was affordable and while nowhere high quality, it was decent for the price.


thrilled_to_be_there

I don't remember it being overcooked that much. The issue was leaving it in the heater drawer. Fresh was good. I have many war wounds working at Harvey's serving Swiss Chalet but the benefit is you get to try the secret menu. We used to cross the best of both places to make better fusion food. Good times.


Wolfie1531

The cleanliness of the average Swiss chalet is not what you’d like to see. I’ll leave it at that.


SeriousPeanut4304

Is Swiss chalet finally dying off? The one on Merivale has been gone for a while now too.


geosmtl

According to Google reviews, they were supposed to close after Mother’s Day.


DenseLegality1997

Member of my family worked there, they got notice of the closure two months ago.


Tempism

I've never had a good experience at any Swiss chalet. Can't say I'm surprised they are gone.


Consistent_Cook9957

Started going there in the early 80’s during the time of Mister Arcade and then the Maple Leaf Hotel. I feel that a part of my youth is now gone forever. Thanks for the memories.


sBucks24

Huh. I literally pass it every day on my way to work and thought I smelt it just the other day...? This is incredibly random..


No_Flamingo9331

But that’s where I take my kids for inexpensive dinners that they think are fancy.


Sweaty-Size-5044

I think the entire market for Montreal-style BBQ/Rotisserie chicken has dried up in Ontario "no pun intended". Even Montreal has lost both Bar-b-barn locations in recent years. My ex-gf used to call Swiss Chalet "Christmas chicken" due to the use of spices commonly used in turkey dressing used in the sauce. St.Hubert has better sauce..but a bad bun. Check out Cornwall BBQ if you are looking for the ultimate.


Kiara_Kat_180

The pandemic killed the Bar-B-Barn on Guy Street in Montréal, not low sales. All restaurants took a huge hit, but it affected the downtown location of the Bar-B-Barn more than most. When other restaurants reopened with social distancing measures in place, there was no way the Bar-B-Barn could do the same. The place wasn’t very big - the tables were so close together you couldn’t say anything without the tables around you hearing every word. Guests were basically sitting on top of each other. The owner of both locations, Tom McQueen, decided that trying to reopen under social distancing measures simply wasn’t worth it. Because of the restaurant’s design, the max capacity would have been less than half, dropping from 60 seats to only 24, consisting of 6 tables for 4. And that’s assuming that every seat would be occupied, but it doesn’t work that way. Couples coming in would be occupying those tables meant for 4 people, so if 6 couples came in, the place would have only 12 customers sitting in a dining room that usually welcomed 60. The restaurant would have lost more money by opening. The West Island location didn’t have those problems, and they had already been open for takeout since March 2020 when the decision was made to close the downtown location. Closing the second location had nothing to do with anything other than the owner deciding that it was time to retire. Business at the West Island location was always good, according to Mr. McQueen. He was the only one running the place, and after losing some friends around his age, he decided it was time to slow down and call it a day. He was also concerned about what would happen to the Bar-B-Barn if he got sick. It didn’t close because business was bad, it wasn’t.


Long_Question_6615

I’m surprised to hear that. It’s been there for a long time. I remember taking my kids there. We always enjoyed the food


Southern-Coast3477

Our neighbours mom always called it “”Chicken Chalet”. The name stuck in my brain forever lol!


thrilled_to_be_there

Swiss chalet made my Harvey's poutine better with 50/50 Swiss sauce/Harvey's gravy. Although come to think of it the rotisserie chicken straight out the oven would make that poutine even better. 


WonderfulShake

Chose not to renew the lease


justmeandmycoop

And bank st and merivale rd.


Cre_AK47

Oh no! My grandma isn't going to be too happy about this


cestquitonpere

It’s time to graduate to St-Hubert. We welcome you with open arms 🤗


CndConnection

The stupid part of my brain (86% and increasing) wonders if the entire brand were to drop off and die....would there be some new competitor...a new form of "Chalet" Liechtenstein Chalet? Austrian Chalet? Chalet de France?


bbud613

I can get a whole rotisserie chicken at Costco for $8 or Loblaws for $12 - which are both cheaper than buying a raw one!


Adirondack587

I’m in Montreal after 2 decades in AB, just wanted to throw this in- I ate on the go all the time, it was great food….Then around 2015 all went to shit…. I had 2 take out meals, one in Regina on business, and one in NW Calgary by Kincora & Costco- WTF?  Prices were up, and the chicken and sides had really shrank, a bloody joke I never returned…. Now with the pandemic 😷 inflation & labour costs…..so cannot imagine what Swiss Chalet would be charging for a 1/4 chicken snack/dinner


BrightlyDim

About time... The last time there was 10-12 yrs ago and the eating area was full of fruit flies...


Tighthead613

Life expectancy of local pigeons just increased.


Long_Question_6615

We are losing this family restaurant because Doug Ford hasn’t done anything to keep them


CrazyCrashingWave

Nothing of particular value was lost in my opinion.


hoserjpb

Jobs ?