Swiss Chalet franchise
2025 filing · March 27, 2025
Swiss Chalet at a glance
A restaurant serving rotisserie chicken, ribs, burgers, fries and poutine.
The business
- Franchisor
- Recipe Unlimited US, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 4,800–5,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $2.36M–$3.5M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $60,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of weekly gross sales, plus an advertising fund contribution
- Brand fund
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid weekly
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 0
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
Support and records
From Recipe Unlimited US, LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Swiss Chalet among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Swiss Chalet | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $2,929,500 | Costs more than 95% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $60,000 | Higher than 88% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 0 | Fewer than 97% of franchises |
How much a Swiss Chalet franchise costs
Opening one Swiss Chalet costs an estimated $2,359,000 to $3,500,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures ($1,300,000 to $2,000,000) and equipment and smallwares ($600,000 to $800,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $60,000 | ||
| Rent (1 Month) | $23,000 | $30,000 | |
| Security Deposit (2 Months’ Rent) | $46,000 | $60,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements, Furniture and Fixtures | $1,300,000 | $2,000,000 | |
| Signage | $60,000 | $75,000 | |
| Equipment and Smallwares | $600,000 | $800,000 | |
| Drawings and Consultants | $70,000 | $120,000 | |
| Initial Training Expenses | $30,000 | $50,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Payroll Costs | $30,000 | $45,000 | |
| Permits and Licenses | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Digital System | $45,000 | $80,000 | |
| Initial Inventory/Supplies | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| Professional Services | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Expenses | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Insurance | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Additional Funds – For Initial 3-Month Period | $40,000 | $80,000 | |
| Total | $2,359,000 | $3,500,000 | |
Source: Recipe Unlimited US, LLC, 2025 filing, page 20
Swiss Chalet franchise fee
The franchise fee is $60,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Recipe Unlimited US, LLC, 2025 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of weekly gross sales, plus an advertising fund contribution. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 4% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Local Advertising Expenditure | Not less than 1% of Gross Sales. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Recipe Unlimited US, LLC, 2025 filing, page 15
Other fees as filed, from page 16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Swiss Chalet does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Recipe Unlimited US, LLC, 2025 filing, page 53
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.9M–$3.5M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Swiss Chalet compares
Of the 113 chicken franchises on this site, Swiss Chalet is the 109th cheapest to open and the smallest by number of locations.
| Figure | Swiss Chalet | Typical chicken brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $2.36M | $407K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $3.5M | $868K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $60K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 0 | 10 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 61 of 113 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 113 brands in chicken franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Swiss Chalet had no U.S. restaurants through 2024.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: chicken franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Recipe Unlimited US, LLC, 2025 filing, page 54
Who owns Swiss Chalet?
Swiss Chalet franchises are sold by Recipe Unlimited US, LLC.
From Recipe Unlimited US, LLC’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 12–14. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Recipe Unlimited US, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 12–14, bankruptcy on page 14
Swiss Chalet filings
The figures on this page come from Recipe Unlimited US, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued March 27, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | March 27, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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