Omaha Cowboy, can you give us a brief on Nebraska liquor laws? What are grocery stores allowed to sell? Are stores allowed to sell on Sundays? How late are they allowed to sell?

A brief skinny..3/2 'near beer' is NOT sold in Omaha or Nebraska..

Speaking of Omaha, stores are allowed to sell alcohol (hard and beer) until 1AM M-Sat and until 11PM on Sunday..Bars/clubs can serve alcohol (hard and beer) until 1AM M-Sun..

I hope this helps okcpulse..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Haven't we had a Cheesecake Factory in the Edmond shopping center at 15th and Santa Fe for a long time?

The Ultimate Cheesecake Factory, has operated for a number of years in Edmond, but I belive in the past few years they have dropped 'Factory' from their name.

The only time I'm in that strip anymore, since Steve's left, is when I go to Hobby's.

I took some pictures of the construction, i'll upload them to my gallery here in a few minutes.

I work at the mall. I spoke with customer relations. They said it's a Cheesecake Factory. My manager who is obviously in contact with mall management said it's a Cheesecake Factory. The webmaster of CheesecakeFactory.com has no bearing on this lease whatsoever.

Finally the Oklahoman announces it's a Cheesecake Factory. Strangely, we've been knowing this for quite sometime now. Goes to show you, we do try to keep ahead of the Oklahoman on issue!

http://newsok.com/article/1855845/?template=business/main

I can't quite picture in my head where this is exactly. How close is it to the intersection of Penn and NW Expressway? I'm not a big fan of this location but it could be alright if they incorporate a nice patio into the design and have it somehow connected to the mall.

I can't quite picture in my head where this is exactly. How close is it to the intersection of Penn and NW Expressway? I'm not a big fan of this location but it could be alright if they incorporate a nice patio into the design and have it somehow connected to the mall.

Won't be connected to the mall. Will be on a pad site over on the west side of the mall, just south of the bank.

Fits in well with the Wileman-Belle Isle side.

I was there yesterday and it's not as far out in that corner as I imagined. It's right next to the main entrance off of Penn. It will be a very visible location.

I'm curious if it will be one or two stories. The ones I have seen have been two, but they weren't free standing buildings.

Here's some examples of how nice the buildings are.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_SanDiego.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_rancho_mirage.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_Oakbrook.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_Irvine.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_des_moines.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_Charlotte.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_brea.jpghttp://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_Atlanta.jpg

Nice!

I hope we get a nice looking one. :)

I've actually never been to a freestanding Cheesecake Factory. The one in Beverly Hills is fairly small as is the one in Austin. But the atmosphere of all of them has been pretty nice. Everytime I went, I made sure my stomach was completely empty and I wouldn't plan on eating again for three days.

Yes, I hope we get a two-story freestanding one with outdoor patio seating on both levels. I went to the one in the Buckhead section of Atlanta a year or so ago and think it would be a good model for Penn to follow. The one in the Plaza of Kansas City is nice too.

I really like the bottom two in those pictures above.

It seems like CF usually tries to "fit in" with the prevailing architectural style of the neighborhood or development it is in i.e. the Spanish style of the one in KC at the Plaza. Not sure what the look for Penn Square would be then, is there a particular style in this part of OKC?

The exciting thing for me about this development is that it proves Oklahoma City is garnering national attention as a legitimate place to do upscale business. The Cheesecake Factory will only develop a location if studies show they can generate 10 mil in earnings/year. Others shouldn't be far behind.

I'm hoping California Pizza Kitchen and Fleming's will follow suit.

muahaha im get to fatten up at Cheesecake Factory!

I'm hoping California Pizza Kitchen and Fleming's will follow suit.

The California Pizza Kitchen opened in Omaha a couple of months ago. I ate there last week and it is very good (the BBQ chicken pizza is a MUST order)..

Flemming's opened in Omaha in 2005. I've eaten there once. It IS expensive. Everything is a al carte. Dinner for 2 ran me over a $135 bill without tip..

The Omaha Cheesecake factory location is now set to open the end of September..I can hardly wait..

Eventually, I am certain that OKC will have all 3 of these restaurants opening up within the next year or so..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

I'm such a mad linker. Speaking to OKC's position in mainstream America, a TIME story about Factory's philosophy comes right before we get one:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1200758,00.html

$970 in sales/square foot of space. Pretty astounding. No wonder the restaurants are so garishly designed.

I wrote the Cheesecake Factory a week or so ago and asked why they didn't have OKC as a "coming soon" location here is their response.

Dear Mr. xxxxxxx:

Thank you for your email and interest in The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated. While
opening details have not yet been announced for our Oklahoma City location, the
tentative opening date is September 19, 2006.

We look forward to serving you!

Sincerely,

Keri Walsh
Guest Relations Coordinator

I drove by last night. Most of the frame of the building is in place. It looks incredibly small and doesn't look like a two story place either. It looks smaller than the Elephant Bar. I hope they realize the potential of this location and at least make it two stories if it is going to be so small. Patrick can you confirm with mall management?

They have Oklahoma City listed in the 'Future Locations', finally.

There went that diet...

Hm... when I drove by I thought it looked like it was going to be decently sized. Not two stories, no. But, to me, it appeared it was going to be larger than Elephant Bar.

Most of the Cheesecake Factory's I've been to are only one story, but with large proportions (much like their entrees).

It seems to be about the same size as normal for their stores. I'm excited to see the exterior finishes they use on our store and how tastefully gaudy it is. :)

I think this picture is the style ours will be:

http://blog.janosakura.org/images/j0506181.jpg

Just a guess, but when I drove by I noticed a square end and a round end and I couldn't figure out which the entrance would be. If this picture is the same design, then the square corner is the entrance.

Just a guess though...

Luke

Either way, I wish it was bigger, I know our market could support it. Especially with all the suburbanites loving chain restaurants, its going to be packed with a long wait, they could still pack it out and double the size.

I am under the impression that Cheesecake will be opening in Sept and I am pretty sure they are shooting for the 19th. And I am thinking that hiring will begin Aug 12th.

Hmmm madison, so off the record do you think that "you are working there or at Penn Sq.?" Can you tell us more? Just in time for my birthday if you're right.

I am under the impression that Cheesecake will be opening in Sept and I am pretty sure they are shooting for the 19th. And I am thinking that hiring will begin Aug 12th.


Actually, they are taking resumes for management right now.

I actually don't work for either, but my husband does. Other postions other than management will be hiring then. I hope management is completed by then! Can you tell me how you knew that it was hiring for management in OKC, is there a sign or the website. Just curious.

Actually, the original post I madewhich stated "late October" was incorrect. 17 weeks from the middle of May would take us to the end of August or early September.

I actually don't work for either, but my husband does. Other postions other than management will be hiring then. I hope management is completed by then! Can you tell me how you knew that it was hiring for management in OKC, is there a sign or the website. Just curious.

It is listed in one or more of the more well known employment websites.

Not to mention places like this usually hire management a few months out, usually 2.

Say CHEESE! cake

By Richard Mize
The Oklahoman

It wasn't likely that The Cheesecake Factory and its "upscale casual" dining would come to Oklahoma City -- right up until the decision was made.

"We have very controlled growth," said Howard Gordon, senior vice president for business development and marketing for The Cheesecake Factory Inc., which plans to open a 12,000-square-foot restaurant at 5600 N Pennsylvania Ave. at Penn Square Mall on Sept. 19.

How controlled?

"We can be offered, on a yearly basis, something in the vicinity of 2,000 sites," Gordon said Thursday from company headquarters in Calabasas, Calif. "Last year, we opened 18 restaurants. This year we will open 21."

So it is something of a coup for Oklahoma City to get one of the popular restaurants. Told that some people in restaurant development here were surprised to see The Cheesecake Factory come here, Gordon said, "You sell yourselves short."

The Cheesecake Factory is selective, but a previous relationship with Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, which owns and operates Penn Square Mall, coupled with demographics around the mall made Oklahoma the place to open a new restaurant, he said.

"We do a lot with Simon," he said, although development of The Cheesecake Factory here is not tied directly to development of another restaurant on Simon property. "They're the largest mall developer in the world, I think, in the country for sure."

Gordon said the company requires a population of at least 250,000 within 5 miles of a site, and an average household income between $50,000 and $70,000 -- conditions met by the Penn Square location.

The average location for The Cheesecake Factory has average annual sales of $11.5 million, he said.

"With The Cheesecake Factory, we offer another dining option. We are the No. 1 upscale casual dining restaurant in the country. We are a destination. We don't take that lightly when we choose a location," Gordon said.

The Oklahoma City restaurant, detached from Penn Square Mall but on an outparcel, will employ about 260 people, Gordon said.

It will seat 300 in a 10,500-square-foot interior and 2,000-square-foot patio, he said. The Cheesecake Factory building is going up on a long- term ground lease with the mall, he said.

Expect more congestion around the mall this fall. The restaurant is on the east side of Pennsylvania Avenue at NW 56, just north of Northwest Expressway, north and west of Penn Square.

"Will there be traffic? Sure," he said. But the restaurant business will be good for the mall and vice versa, he said.

12,000 sq ft. sounds like a pretty big restaurant to me!

Seems like the term "upscale" is thrown about rather liberally these days.

Do we know what this place is going to look like, yet.

I'm pretty sure that calling Cheesecake Factory upscale is pretty accurate. This isn't Chili's or Applebee's.

Have you seen what their restaurants look like inside and out?

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_Irvine.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_Charlotte.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_brea.jpg

Since I do not live in OKC yet, Can anyone tell me how construction is coming along?

I have some pictures from just a few days ago that I will try to get up. Basically the steel is all up.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/PICT0169.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/PICT0170.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/PICT0171.jpg

These two pics that jbrown posted look pretty similar.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/locations_brea.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/martymcflyjb/PICT0171.jpg

I'll be happy if ours looks like this.

Thanks to you all for the updates & pics. I'm so excited about them coming here! When I lived in Dallas, I was right up the street from one of their locations, and ate there frequently. OHHHH...the cheesecake! :D

And, it'll be in time for my b-day, too! YAY

Have you seen what their restaurants look like inside and out?

I've eaten at a few: Las Vegas (Forum Shops), Marina Del Ray, and Phoenix. I have seen several more from the outside. They're nicer than most chain restaurants for sure, but "upscale"? I guess if the scale is set to Chili's and Applebee's it's upscale, but I would think it would take more than just being better than those restaurants to be upscale. Maybe I ordered the wrong things????

They refer to themselves as "upscale casual". It is upscale but it's not like you have to wear black tie and suit either.

Anyhow, I drove by this weekend and it appears most of the steel frame is up. I just wish they would have gone bigger, oh well at least it is a start. I think Bricktown or the arts district would be a good expansion site in OKC.

Well, yeah, most upscale restaurants aren't black tie or even jacket required any more. I wasn't really reffering to the dress code.

Again, the food's okay, but "upscale" is a big stretch, imo.

Yup, looks like it's going to look like the pic Decious has posted.

Well, yeah, most upscale restaurants aren't black tie or even jacket required any more. I wasn't really reffering to the dress code.

Again, the food's okay, but "upscale" is a big stretch, imo.


Thus why they are called "upscale casual".

OK, I guess if I can be "athletic lazy" they can be "upscale casual". :)

I don't understand why you are being so neg towards Cheesecake.

I suppose if you're lazy but have an athletic body you can be that. You must have a high metabolism though.

I don't understand why you are being so neg towards Cheesecake.

I'm not trying to be negative, I just think they are over hyping themselves with the upscale tag. Of course, that's just marketing and no one is just going to say "hey, at least we're a bit better than Chili's and Friday’s". :) I have to admit that it works though. People do have an infatuation with the Cheesecake Factory.


I suppose if you're lazy but have an athletic body you can be that. You must have a high metabolism though.

:)

I was being facetious, but, yeah, you can look one way and be another. The dress code, the marketing, the decor, etc. isn't really an indicator of the food. In my own experience, I have had nothing there that strikes me as upscale food.

OK, I'll leave them alone. People here are excited about it, as usual with a new chain restaurant. I just saying that, in general, the word "upscale" seems to be thrown about a lot these days to the point where it almost just means "doesn't completely suck". The Cheesecake rep calling it upscale reinforced that to me... Sorry, carry on...

The food is all high quality and the portions don't leave anything to be desired!

It's always a place to see and be seen.

BDP, I agree with you as I'm so not a chain restaurant person. However I do like Cheesecake Factory, I'm not a fanatic like some are on here. I'm excited for the publicity Oklahoma City is getting with some of these lucrative hard to get stores and CF being one of them. This will only help draw more high end retail to follow at the mall.

Part of being "upscale" I think has to do with the exclusivity of the chain (only bigger cities) and the kinds of shopping centers or districts they go into (Galleria Malls, The Plaza in KC, etc). That's how I see it.

Part of being "upscale" I think has to do with the exclusivity of the chain (only bigger cities) and the kinds of shopping centers or districts they go into (Galleria Malls, The Plaza in KC, etc). That's how I see it.

I don't even think that's true anymore. They have over 100 resturants in over 30 states. Same stores numbers are falling off and they are using saturation to stay on pace:

Cheesecake Factory Sliced (http://www.smartmoney.com/onedaywonder/index.cfm?story=20060628)

Again, people like the place and it is better than many of our other chains, so it will be welcomed and I think it will be a success. But, kind of likd PF Chang's, it's no real coup for the market and it doesn't really signal much of a change in the market's favor in the restuarant industry. We're still following the crest of the product cycle here.

I drove by yesterday and took pics. They are in my gallery:

http://www.okctalk.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=204

Actually, it could signify us being placed above Tulsa in the restaurant industry. Before, chains have always gone to Tulsa before coming here (i.e. PF Chang's).

Maybe, but it still doesn't place us very high. Not that I have any aspiration of being high on chain food expansion lists, but Cheesecake Factory is kind of everywhere, but here at this point.

I have only been in Oklahoma city 2 weeks today and I think it is wonderful!
Now to Cheesecake! They are hiring at an offsite across the street from the restaurant. If you are hired you will recieve $100 for every person you bring in and they get hired! Not sure of details on the money if you have to work or they have to work for a short perod of time first.