Swiss Chalet

[hi-tech]

How the hell is this place still in business? It serves the most bland, flavorless food I've ever encountered. The chicken is just that, chicken, there is no herbs or seasoning added to it. The gravy is atrocious, it doesn't even taste like how gravy should taste. The salads are horrible too, every thing seems to stale and smells weird. The desserts, oh lord, disgusting!

Don't tell me its the location I've went to, because I've gone to 3 different locations now, and they've all been horrible.

The worst dish of all, messy toast!

[hightechfan]

How the hell is this place still in business? It serves the most bland, flavorless food I've ever encountered. The chicken is just that, chicken, there is no herbs or seasoning added to it. The gravy is atrocious, it doesn't even taste like how gravy should taste. The salads are horrible too, every thing seems to stale and smells weird. The desserts, oh lord, disgusting!

Don't tell me its the location I've went to, because I've gone to 3 different locations now, and they've all been horrible.

The worst dish of all, messy toast!

How is pizzapizza or bk still in business that is the bigger question.By the way you have to ask for the herbs and they will add it to the chicken.

[afong56]

try going to one on a sunday at 5pm--you will see the demographic that they are aiming for: retired folks who still like to have a nice sunday dinner out but can't afford a lot on a pension, and young families trying to feed four people for less than $50.

the beautiful part about living in canada is that there's usually a lot more choice--go eat one of the wonderful ethnic foods that is available, and leave the swiss pigeon to their target clientele.

[azndoughboi]

their soups are good o.O

[Ogata]

Because not everyone has a sophisticated palette and some people prefer bland / prepackaged / simple tastes. For me I am open minded and not everyone can spend more than 10 bucks on an appetizer or entree for that matter. Its all about the money nowadays.

[aKiu]

i secnd that. i love swiss chalet cause its cheap and its chicken & fries

n plus im not a picky eater so i dont find it anythin wrong.

n by the way i dont think its gravy that they give u. its swiss chalet sauce. so if u were thinkin its gravy then that could be why u were disgusted

[skyblue12]

swiss chalet isn't something i'd choose to eat for dinner very often.. but once in a while i find it good. usually i just order half-chicken meal and that's good enough for me.. the fries are a bit soggy because i buy take-out but i still find them pretty good. the bread is hard.. but i mean there's a lot of places that have even worse :| the bread that tim hortons used to give me with the soup deal - it was so hard i could break the table with it.

and imo the chicken isn't that bad-tasting either.. as long as i don't eat it so often

[df329]

perogies and open-faced chicken sandwich FTW

[nano]

perogies are the main reason i go most of the time i like Swiss Chalet

[thegazelle]

How the hell is this place still in business? It serves the most bland, flavorless food I've ever encountered. The chicken is just that, chicken, there is no herbs or seasoning added to it. The gravy is atrocious, it doesn't even taste like how gravy should taste. The salads are horrible too, every thing seems to stale and smells weird. The desserts, oh lord, disgusting!

Don't tell me its the location I've went to, because I've gone to 3 different locations now, and they've all been horrible.

The worst dish of all, messy toast!

I would have to respectfully disagree. The chicken isn't that bad - there is better chicken out there, but there is far worse (ever have chicken at Pickel Barrel?) I wouldn't say the chicken is bland - it's a standard roasted chicken - no different than Loblaws or CostCo or Highland Farms.

You know, I've been to some extremely expensive restaurants which serve chicken and it was terrible - it was laced with way too much herbs and stuff that it tastes nothing like chicken. I guess it really depends on your palate. For me, I can't have Swiss Chalet everyday, because the selection is pretty limited, but whenever I do have it, it's not bad. There far worse restaurants out there.

Swiss Chalet also has pretty good service overall (including take out) and the food arrives pretty quickly. The sauce has never been referred to as gravy - always as Chalet sauce. And that's not that bad either - I used to drink it straight, when I was a kid.

The Swiss Chalet chicken, is, for the most part, moist. Not the juiciest, but better than Loblaws chicken.

There are far worse restaurants out there, trust me. Just because you make chicken with tons of herbs does not meant it is any good. Same goes with steaks. I've had the steaks at Milestone's, and I don't like it at all. Same for their corn chowder soup, which tastes like curry or something from Mexico. I guess my tastes are more "basic" that way, which is why Swiss Chalet doesn't bother me at all.

[Blunt]

The last time I went.. I chicken as so hot, juicy and moist... the skin was great... The fries was piping hot... It was a good meal for $10.

Goto a busy location, maybe your experience will better there.

[MkmBandit]

How the hell is this place still in business? It serves the most bland, flavorless food I've ever encountered. The chicken is just that, chicken, there is no herbs or seasoning added to it. The gravy is atrocious, it doesn't even taste like how gravy should taste. The salads are horrible too, every thing seems to stale and smells weird. The desserts, oh lord, disgusting!

Don't tell me its the location I've went to, because I've gone to 3 different locations now, and they've all been horrible.

The worst dish of all, messy toast!


http://jolle.se/imgs/cookie.jpg

[Anessa]

I used to work there. The reason there's no herbs or whatever is because it is a chain restaurant. All the chicken has to be the same from coast to coast unless head office dictates a variation eg. Spicy chicken. The kitchen only follows orders.

[Squiggles]

Thanks a lot!!!!! Now I want to order Swiss Chalet for dinner.

[duckdown]

My only real beef with Swiss Chalet is that it never leaves me full

[Squiggles]

My only real beef with Swiss Chalet is that it never leaves me full


Swiss Chalet isn't beef, it's chicken.

[Squiggles]

I hope that you realize that he's using the word "beef" figuratively.


Me fail English, that's unpossible.

[duckdown]

Swiss Chalet isn't beef, it's chicken.

swear?




on a side note, i forgot to mention, churrasqueira BBQ > swiss chalet any day of the week!!!

[501]

well for dinner it sure beats the fast food places...mcdonalds,bk, etc. but then again theres always pizza which is more cheaper and taste better :)

[skyblue12]

well for dinner it sure beats the fast food places...mcdonalds,bk, etc. but then again theres always pizza which is more cheaper and taste better :)

i had pizza pizza the other night for dinner and i'd have to say that their pizza quality is going down.. :| i don't like it anymore.. but their wings were still good :p

[Phr3sh]

i love swiss chalet this guy is crazy....their sauce is sooooo good

[MoonDoggy]

i love swiss chalet and i'm an adventurous eater. even my relatives from asia loves it. they just want to eat there everytime they come over.

[kajan23]

They do have good ribs though.

[patriot]

Better than Rotten Ronnies (McD) or the Dirty Bird (KFC) any day !!!

[SW20 MR2]

I'm not a fan either. The chicken is always dry, even the dark meat. I'd rather have a Loblaws chicken, but that doesn't really say much.

[hi-tech]

Haha. When I mean gravy, I mean gravy! I'm not talking about the Swiss Chalet sauce, that tastes awful too, kind of like vinegar mixed with ketchup and heavily watered down. If you ask for gravy, they will also serve the meal with gravy, but I highly recommend against it.

For people saying there's value in Swiss Chalet. There isn't. I can go to any local restaurant, where the food isn't cookie cutter, fill my self up with food that actually has flavor all for less than $10. I agree it's slightly better than a fastfood place like McDonalds or BK. But damn, if I'm going to be paying for food, I atleast want there to be some kind of taste in my mouth.

[duckdown]

Their ribs are some crappy cuts every time I've gotten them any time recently. Huge bones in them, lots of cartlidge all along the top of the ribs.. They hadn't been trimmed properly; and it's happen more than once

BATON Rouge for BBQ chicken & ribs! :)

[gordholio]

How the hell is this place still in business? It serves the most bland, flavorless food I've ever encountered. The chicken is just that, chicken, there is no herbs or seasoning added to it. The gravy is atrocious, it doesn't even taste like how gravy should taste. The salads are horrible too, every thing seems to stale and smells weird. The desserts, oh lord, disgusting!

Don't tell me its the location I've went to, because I've gone to 3 different locations now, and they've all been horrible.

The worst dish of all, messy toast!

I like Swiss Chalet. I haven't been there for a while though.

[billdozer]

just get a double leg meal and ask the server for chicken that isn't dry. it never hurts to ask.

though SC is pretty good for an inexpensive homestyle meal, I'd rather go to loblaws and get the $11 or whatever whole rotisserie chicken / potato wedges / salad combo.

[Sprite_TM]

swiss chalet is alright, i like their double leg dinner

[silentio]

Their ribs are some crappy cuts every time I've gotten them any time recently. Huge bones in them, lots of cartlidge all along the top of the ribs.. They hadn't been trimmed properly; and it's happen more than once

BATON Rouge for BBQ chicken & ribs! :)

I still remember the rib commercials from way back. They claimed that the meat is so tender it'll fall off the bone. Cut to the guy eating the ribs and he's YANKING the ribs apart slowly trying to make it appear like the ribs are tender lol

[M@rk]

I've always hated Swiss Chalet chicken for the reasons you've mentioned. But I go there for the perfectly seasoned juicy ribs, not the chicken.

BUT why do you guys make it seem like Swiss Chalet is a cheap place to eat?! It seems like you're all rich.... For our family, Swiss Chalet's considered a luxury. A full plate of ribs cost like $22.99, and if you add a beer and maybe a dessert to share, it ends up costing like $30/person... maybe $20/person if you order the cheapest stuff on the menu and nothing else.

Maybe it's just me, but that seems a lil expensive

[anom]

I've always hated Swiss Chalet chicken for the reasons you've mentioned. But I go there for the perfectly seasoned juicy ribs, not the chicken.

BUT why do you guys make it seem like Swiss Chalet is a cheap place to eat?! It seems like you're all rich.... For our family, Swiss Chalet's considered a luxury. A full plate of ribs cost like $22.99, and if you add a beer and maybe a dessert to share, it ends up costing like $30/person... maybe $20/person if you order the cheapest stuff on the menu and nothing else.

Maybe it's just me, but that seems a lil expensive

The ribs may be 22.99 but the chicken dinners are the stuff that people are referring to as a "cheap meal". for a non-fast food place, it is decently priced.

[GateGuardian]

Swiss Chalet is ok.... since they deliver, it's great when you have a get together with a bunch of friends...same goes with Pizza Pizza

[David Tweener]

Well it's not exactly foie gras you are eating but you can't got wrong for their Family Value Pack. $22.99 and you get 6 legs, 4 sides, 4 rolls and dipping sauce.

I'm salivating just from thinking.

[Pavel]

I agree, SC is definitely not a cheap place to eat but it's quite tasty, and reasonably healthy if you don't eat the sauce. One can save and buy a Rotissiere Chicken at your grocery store. BTW, their ribs are awesome.

[skyblue12]

Swiss Chalet is ok.... since they deliver, it's great when you have a get together with a bunch of friends...same goes with Pizza Pizza

agreed with pizza pizza.. but for some reason swiss chalet doesn't seem like a "party" type of food that you'll have with friends.. maybe it's because the swiss chalet commercials always show a family eating together, not friends watching a hockey game and eating it or someting :|

[GateGuardian]

agreed with pizza pizza.. but for some reason swiss chalet doesn't seem like a "party" type of food that you'll have with friends.. maybe it's because the swiss chalet commercials always show a family eating together, not friends watching a hockey game and eating it or someting :|


well those are really the two choices around my neighbourhood, and we don't like chinese food because then we have to share all the plates etc.

[Steeve Urkel]

They used to have a chicken sanwich on a bun that was really good, esp with the Chalet sauce for diping.

Swiss Chalet is not the best chicken, but it is pretty good. The ribs are good also- although I haven't eaten there in at least 1 year.

St Huberts is way better, too bad they are all in Quebec and so expensive thesedays.
They have a really good chicken brochette and also "tarte au sucre" - sugar pie, which is very big in Quebec!

But since this is about Swiss,
I find their fries are always soggy even when you eat in.
It is also funny how they added Harvey's items to their restaurant menu.:confused:
Like who is going to go to Swiss Chalet and order a veggie burger???

[boonjaca]

I like Swiss Chalet, was actually there yesterday. The funny thing about the chicken sauce is from the people I talked to it's either you love it or hate it, no one inbetween.

[skanji]

we only go to swiss chalet for their dessert...specifically the chocolate cake!
http://www.swisschalet.com/images/desserts_2.jpg

[Diamondog]

St. Huberts is definately better than Swiss Chalet!

[thegazelle]

I've always hated Swiss Chalet chicken for the reasons you've mentioned. But I go there for the perfectly seasoned juicy ribs, not the chicken.

BUT why do you guys make it seem like Swiss Chalet is a cheap place to eat?! It seems like you're all rich.... For our family, Swiss Chalet's considered a luxury. A full plate of ribs cost like $22.99, and if you add a beer and maybe a dessert to share, it ends up costing like $30/person... maybe $20/person if you order the cheapest stuff on the menu and nothing else.

Maybe it's just me, but that seems a lil expensive

I order the quarter chicken dinner ($6.95) and a coffee ($2.00) and it's a little over $10.00, including tax and tip. That's not too bad. If you were ordering the ribs and alcohol, I can see why that would add to your total, but if you were to order the same anywhere else, I suspect you would see a comparable price.

[duckdown]

St. Huberts is definately better than Swiss Chalet!

definitely

[huthut]

I love Swiss Chalet's chicken and dipping sauce. Their rib's are ok. I like their fries but they should cook them longer so they won't be so soggy. I ordered some takeout today and the cook had the fries in the fryer for no more than a minute before he took them out. They should take a few pointers from New York Fries (which serves the same style fries) on how to cook fries.