Elliot Lake is getting its own Swiss Chalet, proponents of the business said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
The Swiss Chalet franchise holder, Kayla Breen-Sloane, who currently owns and operates Jackleggers Bar and Grill, made the announcement at the press conference along with her father Shayne Breen who is lending his business expertise to the franchise. Also attending the conference was William Elliott, ELNOS general manager, which has offered background support and an undisclosed loan to the plan.
Breen said the franchise is meant to provide a family restaurant based on the popular, nationwide Swiss Chalet menu and dining experience. It is hoped the Swiss Chalet restaurant will open around April next year after an anticipated month-long renovation of the interior of the building owned by the family. Jackleggers will remain open until the renovation work begins.
Swiss Chalet, owned by Recipe Unlimited Corporation, was involved in the planning when Breen first considered establishing a franchise in August. Executives from the parent company looked the current location over and found it would fit in with the company’s conversion plan for its restaurants. They found the interior of the building would fit in with the roadhouse style Recipe is fashioning its new restaurants after.
“This is what the new Swiss Chalet is looking for,” Breen said of the Recipe executive’s response to the plan when they toured the building.
Breen-Sloane has operated Jackleggers for four years and said she preferred to open a business dedicated to family dining and felt a Swiss Chalet would be a perfect fit in Elliot Lake. She was also an employee of Swiss Chalet when she attended university.
In all, according to her father, the total investment is about $2 million. The restaurant will have seating for 88 with some 50 parking spaces. Work on improving parking is already well underway.
“There’s not another franchise we would have considered other than Swiss Chalet,” Breen said. “In the 21 years Elliott has been involved in economic development, a Swiss Chalet restaurant has been at the ‘top of the list’ for people wanting a new food service.”
He credited the family with making the investment. The Breen family is well-known here, having operated a business in Elliot Lake for 60 years started by Breen’s father Tom. Breen was born and raised in Elliot Lake before moving to Sault Ste. Marie 30 years ago. His brother lives and operates a business in the city and daughter moved to Elliot Lake to open Jackleggers four years ago.
“We are excited to announce that Jackleggers Bar and Grill located at 290 Hillside Dr., Elliot Lake, will be re-branding in the new year as Swiss Chalet Rotisserie and Grill,” Breen said in a press release. “The new restaurant will open after a period of renovation.”
“I have a lot of faith in that brand and in the company behind it. They’re professional,” he added.
Breen-Sloane said the company will be providing training for new employees and the plan is to offer a job fair. It’s expected the Swiss Chalet restaurant will have about 30 employees. She said people looking for work at the restaurant can contact her at Jackleggers at 705-461-8888 to get an email address in order to submit resumes.