Feeling Festive @myswisschalet ~ Did I Find #EqualCanada for #CBias?

Just a few weeks ago I posted about my LOVE for the Festive Special at Swiss Chalet.  Every Holiday season is met with anticipation and excitement, wondering if they would offer this special feast.  When I was contacted to do a shopportunity on behalf of #CBias and #EqualCanada, I knew exactly where I would be going!

My local Swiss Miss (as hubby calls it).

We really don't need any excuse to eat at Swiss Chalet.  Honestly, in ten years of eating there I have had one bad meal, but they quickly corrected the issue.  Great service, and good food with healthy meal choices is one major attraction.  The biggest bonus is VALUE and it keeps us going back.  The fact that our whole family can eat there for around $40 or less, usually with leftovers to take home too.  Our latest trip was a much needed break from eating at home:  It was the day before Christmas Eve so there was shopping to finish, I was in the midst of a VERY long work week, and I was happy to have a few hours of family time before my daughter's bedtime.

As we arrived the dining room was half-full, clean, and had a warm and inviting atmosphere.  We were seated very quickly and drink orders taken.  I had exceeded my coffee quota for the day but wanted something warm as it was freezing outside. Anita was our server and hostess manager.  I ordered a pot of steeped tea and asked Anita what sweeteners they offered.  She said she wasn't sure what kind it was but told me the colour of the package.  I told her I preferred Equal and asked if she could find out if it was available.  Anita returned with my tea and a small tray of sugar, milk cups, and sweetener packets.  It definitely was not Equal. Anita apologized; "I'm sorry, we only have this kind."  I told her not to worry about it.  

I ordered the Festive Special with white meat and hand-cut fries.  

Hubby was thrilled to see that the Half-Rack Rib dinner was being offered as a Festive Special option.  I teased him saying that he would regret missing out on the stuffing.  But he was sure that he would be happy without it as long as he got his bonus Lindor Chocolates at the end of the meal.  He ordered that and I had to take a picture because his dinner barely fit on the plate!

Princess Destructo busied herself with colouring the pictures on back of the kids menu while we cut up food to share on her plate.

Sure enough, hubby ended up bargaining for some of my stuffing. He offered me two of his Lindor chocolates so I couldn't refuse.  So we had a relaxing and delicious family meal, a treat to take home for later, and I was super thrilled to find that Swiss Chalet had upped the wow factor with their promos.  Last year they offered a Buy One Quarter Chicken Dinner- Get One Dinner Free coupon.  This promo is once again being offered. We merely need to clip the coupon from our soon to be empty Lindor boxes and have another family meal for half the cost. This coupon is valid for January so you can be sure that we will be using our two coupons in the New Year.  An added bonus to ordering the Festive Special is the fact that they are offering a $5 Indigo Kids gift card with your meal.  I expected this gift card to be filled with limitations, but was impressed otherwise.  The purchase must exceed the value of the gift card, and needs to be used before January 8, 2012.  That should be easy considering the amount of time I spend in the mall for work.

With chocolates in hand, and when our meal was done I asked for a refill in my tea pot and requested a comment card.  Anita kindly asked if the meal was satisfactory and I put her at ease. "The meal and service were fabulous. I want to recommend that Swiss Chalet offers Equal as a choice of sweetener."  She kindly directed me to the link listed at the bottom of my receipt.  Swiss Chalet has joined the long list of businesses offering online feedback surveys.  

The online survey was user friendly and didn't take too long to complete.  It was mostly geared toward dining room experiences, like food quality and service.  I did take the time to make sure they knew how great Anita our hostess was and made a recommendation for Swiss Chalet to offer Equal to their customers.  I didn't find Equal on this shopportunity.  It didn't ruin my meal, but when you find your favourite brands at a place you love to eat at anyway, it does enhance your dining experience.

Do you "FOLLOW" @EqualCanada's twitter page and "LIKE’ Equal Canada on Facebook? We’d love to have you join the discussion.  You can also see a photo gallery of my full #EqualCanada #CBias #SwissChalet experience on Mimi's Humble Pie Google+ Page.

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias (#CBias and #EqualCanada). All opinions remain honest and my own."