Cheesecake Factory

[beatlebutt81]

Okay, so I finally went to Cheesecake Factory on Sunday during brunch hours. It was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had.

First thing I noticed is how incredibly tight the space is. We got seated at a small table near the restrooms. There was no room between the tables. I felt like the people next to us were in our laps. We had no elbow room to eat. Plus the server kept hitting us with the napkin that was hanging from his apron, and he kept knocking my husband's fork off our table.

Next we got the fried mac & cheese as an appetizer. Two out of the four mac & cheese balls were so dark that they were almost black, making them so overcooked that they tasted absolutely horrible.

The free bread was harder than a rock, and we couldn't even get our teeth through it. That's the same problem I had with the sandwich I got. I couldn't get my teeth through the bread.

My husband got the beef ribs, and they were about 90% fat, so it wasn't at all edible.

The server offered to get us something else, but by then we just wanted to leave.

[Rage 2.0]

CF-- Over rated...

You can even buy there Cheesecake in Sams... Taste the same... The design of the buildings is cool but that's it... Nothing over the top...

[jbrown84]

Maybe you're just jealous we got one before Tulsa did.

[Rage 2.0]

Trust me-- Im Not... I just go to school in Tulsa that's all... I happen to know a lot about the city but I really don't care...

[jbrown84]

Just teasin...

[Rage 2.0]

Yeah I know...

Trust me I know how Jealous those Tulsa fanatics are about OKC getting CF first... All they do is say it's crappy and Tulsa would have but...

[jbrown84]

Ha. So what's their excuse? How can you explain this?????

[bandnerd]

Finally got to go yesterday--hubby wanted to take me out for a nice lunch.

Service was okay...he was better in the beginning, and evidently he screwed up the table next to us and they complained and I think it threw him off. Didn't get ketchup for fries until I was done eating. Also got a Diet Coke refilled as a regular Coke once, but he refilled it for me without a problem. He disappeared for a really long time, too...mostly when we needed ketchup :P

I had the factory burger on wheat...I didn't realize it was going to be really dark wheat bread. It was still good, though. The carmelized onions were really tasty. The fries reminded me of McDonald's fries, but better. My burger was cooked to medium just like I wanted.

Hubby had the chicken with avacado club. It looked really good. He liked it, but he's pretty easy to please!

We split a slice of key lime cheesecake...I love key lime anything...and it was nice, tart, and refreshing. Just what I wanted. No way I could have eaten the whole slice alone!

I only ate half the burger and ate the rest at home. Only about half my fries, too. Portions are HUGE! Almost as big as the menu!

I will go back, and hope for better service. It wasn't terrible, and I could tell he was frustrated with the other table. The lady seemed very hard to please and also unable to state why she was unhappy with her food.

I personally can count on my one hand the number of times that I felt like complaining to a manager about anything. And I have even had my order completely lost before and I didn't complain because they usually comped it anyway lol. When we went to Eischan's last week, our order got buried under some huge orders and the cook herself brought it out with a free pitcher of beer. Silence and patience usually win out.

Otherwise, like I said, I'll happily go back, maybe for dinner, and try something different!

[OKBound]

We may have to give the CF there a try during our trip up next month.

We have a CF here in Frisco less than 5 miles away. My fav is the Parmesan Crusted Chicken. The first time I ordered it, it came with alfredo sauce by accident but just like post-its and the telephone, accidents can be a good thing. I always say I'm going to order something different, but blast, I just have to have it.
The Godiva is to die for....but I can't have it at night or I'll be up until 4am(too old for that).

Hubby has had the Key Lime Cheesecake and he loves it!

One way we've learned to avoid the long waits on the weekends is to plan on going right when they open. You can usually get seated almost immediately and if you skip breakfast, you have plenty of room to stuff yourselves.....

[Patrick]

Some people will find anything to complain about.

[pritchbrian]

My wife and I ate at the cheesecake factory this weekend for our anniversary. We have driven by several times on our trips to okc but have never stopped. We will be back for sure. Our food was really good but I forgot what we had because the cheesecake was so wonderful. I truly dont think I have ever had anything as good in my life as the cheesecake we had there this weekend.

[JWil]

All this thread tells me is that sometimes you get good service, sometimes you don't. That's more about the individual than the restaurant. I never let the two get confused in my head. Plus, if you've been a server before (I was for two years), you know when the service is bad or if the server is just getting nuked.

Anyway, I've only been to the CF once, back in like late Feb. It was pretty good. Pricey place, but worth it every know and again.

[mcbee04]

I ate there for my 21st birthday. I ordered a peach girly alcoholic drink but they didn't check my ID, which was disappointing. I was with a party of 8 and the server had a hard time keeping our drinks refilled. My friend spoke secretly to the waiter to let him know it was my birthday and they would like them to do whatever is the CF tradition. Nothing ever happened. I ordered my cheesecake to go because I was so stuffed, so I guess maybe that's why.
I got the Baja Chicken Tacos. They were really good, but I'd suggest asking for extra sour cream because they have 2 corn tortillas around them and were a little dry. The Dulce de Leche cheesecake is delicious.

[okchotspot]

Every time that I have gone to the CF it has been between 5-7 at night and the wait has never been over 10-15 minutes at the most. The first couple of times were around Christmas and it still wasn't a long wait.

[Ms.Relaxationstation]

I heard the Cheesecake Factory is closing. This is just something I have heard.

Can anyone verify or dispel whether it's true or not?

[bandnerd]

Seriously doubt it.

[jbkrems]

Its NOT closing. A friend of mine just started working there today... it was his official orientation for a new job as a server there.

[SoonerDave]

Its NOT closing. A friend of mine just started working there today... it was his official orientation for a new job as a server there.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean a thing in terms of whether a restaurant - paritcularly a chain - is imminently closing. Mind you, I have no knowledge either way about Cheesecake Factory, but I do know that most if not all chain restaurants have a general business policy of not telling anyone about a particular location closing until a crew shows up on the last day of business and informs the staff that the place is closing effective immediately. That crew is charged with inventorying assets, collecting fixtures not belonging to the building/landlord, and generally shutting the place down.

This didn't make any sense to me, until it was explained that it had to be done this way because if you have what we might think of as a "going out of business sale," the staff will start leaving en masse, assets will be pilfered and stolen, and the closing process ends up a disaster. As a result, restaurant closing is usually a "cauterize and sterlize" process. As I understand it, precisely this technique was used when Don Pablo's OKC locations closed, as well as the south-side OKC Hometown Buffet...

LIke I said, I don't have any idea about Cheesecake Factory (given the parking lot, I'd be amazed if it weren't successful), but the fact that someone just got hired doesn't mean squat, unfortunately.

-soonerdave

[Ginkasa]

I haven't gone in a couple months, but it always seems pretty busy when I've gone. There's usually a bit of wait or, if there's not, only a few empty tables.

I can't imagine why it would be closing unless its a chainwide problem rather than our specific location.

[soonergolfer]

It is the highest grossing restaurant in the state, as well as they probably spent upwards of $5M to open the doors. It will not be closing.

[jbrown84]

I highly doubt that's true.

[Rage_Kage]

It is the highest grossing restaurant in the state, as well as they probably spent upwards of $5M to open the doors. It will not be closing.

Are you sure it is the highest grossing restaurant in the entire state. Also it probably cost more than that considering the old chicago in edmond cost around 2 mil. to start up.

The Practice of restaurants closing without notice is not exclusive to chains, most restaurants that are forced to close their doors do not let the information get to anyone outside of management.

[soonergolfer]

Unless Cheesecake is closing stores nationally this one won't. Thats what happened to Bahama Breeze on the lake. They were making money but Darden closed almost all locations. I think Cheesecake beat out Toby Keiths for top gross sales last year.

[Jesseda]

okay my wife and i got a gift card for the cheescake factory, never been there, i checked there web site out to see there menu, i am looking for prices but cant find the menu prices anywhere, i know they are a bit expensive thats why i am trying to find out how much it will cost my family with that gift card and the money i bring.. i tried goggling it but couldnt find nothing.. i know we have some members on this board that can find almost anything, so im turning to you..thanks

[GWB]

okay my wife and i got a gift card for the cheescake factory, never been there, i checked there web site out to see there menu, i am looking for prices but cant find the menu prices anywhere, i know they are a bit expensive thats why i am trying to find out how much it will cost my family with that gift card and the money i bring.. i tried goggling it but couldnt find nothing.. i know we have some members on this board that can find almost anything, so im turning to you..thanks

Prices vary from city to city so that's probably why they aren't listed. I found this on their website:

The Cheesecake Factory is proud to offer our guests outstanding menu variety, food quality, and generous portions at a great value. Prices range from $5.95 to $27.95. During lunch, many items on our menu are offered at “Lunch-Sized Portions” at a lower price.

The Cheesecake Factory :: About Us :.

Family of four could do lunch for about 40 dollars or so depending on if you order drinks and appetizers. Their "lunch-sized portions" is a pretty good deal. This is not my wife's and I favorite place to eat, but it's a good place to take your family once in a while.