Swiss Chalet — Restaurant in East Gwillimbury

Dear Owner.

It has been brought to my attention that you have instituted a policy surrounding the "bottomless soft drinks" that requires a customer to drink ½ a glass of pop before a free refill will be permitted.

I address this to you as I was told several times it's the owners policy.

I'm going to assume that a glass of diet Pepsi costs you 30¢ (you charge either $2.99 or $3.99, I could not find an actual price online)

Let's do some math.

We used to visit this location regularly once per week. there was a rare 2nd visit per week here and there. Did we come every week?, no, but for the sake of argument let's say we visited 40x per year. How many years? I kid you not when I say the last 9-10 years. (Ask your staff, they know us and can verify)

On average our bill, including tax, would be anywhere between $90-$120 + tip of generally 15-20%. Yes, I know tips are not required, they are optional, but generally speaking the service industry does not pay its workforce appropriately, and relies upon gratuities to pay their bills.

So, today we are seated and we were asked our drinks, we order the same.exact.identical.order.every.single.time.we.go.there. 3 people, we get 3 diet Pepsi, no lemon, no lime, no ice, and only 1 straw. At this same moment I ask for a second glass of pop for my self, since they are free refills (meaning I can drink as much or as little as I want for the same price), as I typically drink the 1st rather quickly, and enjoy the 2nd with my meal.

I was quickly told of this new pop policy, and said no, please get me whoever told you this as it's incorrect. I believe it was the dining room manager that came out. She was quick to tell me it's the owners policy, I told her this is not right, I specifically point out to her that she Infact knows we are very regular customers, we are polite to staff, we don't give the staff problems, we don't make any messes, and we always tip. I am not trying to say we are the best customers ever, or even close, but I feel confident in saying we are above average.

Back to the math.

I feel safe in saying that we have visited this specific location between 350-400x over the last decade.

Our average bill, I'll say $75 excluding taxes and tips.

$75 x 350 visits = $26,250.

The future is impossible to predict, but let's say our situation stays the same by only 50% over the next 9-10 years, that's lost revenue of $13,000 to you. $13,000. 1 more time, $13,000.

Basically we have spent in this 1 location only, $26,000.

You wouldn't give me 30¢ worth of diet Pepsi.

Potential loss for you over the next 9-10 years, $26,000 + increases over time.

You wouldn't give me 30¢ worth of diet Pepsi.

We cancelled our order, and were out the door in under 2 mins. Revenue for you today, $0. Revenue for you tomorrow, $0. Revenue from us to you ever again? $0.

We literally went across the street to East Side Mario's, had all the free refills we wanted without question, ate our meals, cheque was $115, we tipped $25.

Revenue to you, $0, because you wouldn't give me 30¢ of diet Pepsi at the start of what should have been an enjoyable...

Went for dinner on Sept 15th 2022. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the quality of the food was very poor. Our waitress offered to take it back and start again but we didn't have time. Our quarter chicken pieces were both cold, and very dry. Chicken should not require the sauce to make it moist. My potato was clearly overcooked, not at all fluffy and rather dark in colour. My salad contained pieces of lettuce that should never have been presented to a customer. They were shriveled up and far past the time they should have been served. The best part of the meal was the cup of soup. I should have stopped there. Regrettably this is not the first time that the chicken served has been unsatisfactory. I doubt that I will ever eat at this restaurant again

Oct 9 2025 --- Once again my wife and I visited this restaurant to have the Thanksgiving Feast. When we ordered I asked if it was possible to have a generous amount of Cranberry Sauce. Yes was the answer with a cost 0f .99 cents! Since the amount usually included consisted of no more than a teaspoonfull I pointed out that such a cost was very steep. Unfortunately even though I indicated that I knew it was not her fault I was then give a lecture by the waitress. Furthermore the amount of chicken on the plate was dwarfed by the baked potatoe. Furthermore about six months ago I approached a manager and commented about the men's washroom. At that time one urinal was out of order and two toilet seats were broken such that a user was in danger of falling to the floor. SIX MONTHS and still not repaired! I guess it is time to find another location. I find it very interesting that each response from the owner/manager makes no comment other than to invite the commentor to...

Will never go to this location again. Waitress was nice but when we asked for more time to look at the menu and she came back 1 minute later, she was a little hasty. I ordered bbq sauce instead of chalet sauce, she informed extra fee, I questioned it & politely said that I wouldn't pay as I didn't like chalet sauce. She said she had no choice. She offered for the manager to talk to me. I said if he really wants to come out to discuss a fee for bbq sauce he can. Surprisingly the manager came out to our table to tell me I had to pay extra for bbq sauce! I told him recently in Keswick they didn't charge me & he said he'd call his mom at that location & ask her why! I told him I'd trade him for the chalet sauce and he agreed to keep it and give me bbq sauce with no fee, but if I wanted both, there'd be a fee. There was no extra charge for sour cream for the bsked potato though. I have been going to SC for years & this is the only location that has charged for bbq sauce. (They did this to me at this location years ago and finally agreed to give me a little packaged container of it, no charge.) We spent over $45 for a sit down dinner & wanting to charge for bbq sauce is ridiculous. The manager was cocky and unapologetic. Our food was brought out on one of two robots, I guess bbq sauce helps pay for them 😉. It seemed like I was served the smallest 1/2 chicken they had and a smaller than usual amount of madhed potatoes & a small amount of gravy to go with them. Overall, it spoiled my experience & will make sure this location is off my list. I will be sharing this information with friends as good customer service is important, especially when money is tight & there are lots of other restaurant...