The Cheesecake Factory

Reviews 3

VI

Viola Williams

I wouldnt even give this place one star if I could. My family and I went there on 04/05/2014 and had the worst time ever. We love cheesecake factory in Charlotte, NC, Virginia, and in DC where we have family as well. We went there to celebrate a birthday for my uncle who is one of the pillars of our family. First, the people here told my cousin that they dont take reservations when she called a week ahead of time and the day of in the morning when they opened, which is a lie, because again, we go there all the time and all of the cheesecake factories take reservations. So when the rest of the family got there which was 10 minutes later, we still had to wait 30 minutes. My family party was about 12-15 people, they tried to sit us down in two separate areas. I dont know what they were thinking. 6 people would sit on the far left side of the restaurant and the rest on the right side. We are celebrating a birthday at a restaurant for Gods sake. Then the young lady in front that was seating individuals, with red long hair, had a very nasty attitude and was down right rude. Well my mother talked to her like she had some sense somewhere and informed her that we are here to patronize the restaurant. She didnt pay attention to us at all because we were of color, however, the individuals of white American decent were seated and handled in the utmost manner. NOT ACCEPTABLE. We actually know some of the board of trustees and partners as well as investors in the restaurant. Not to throw names around, but again, we go there almost once or twice a week, so this was horrible. Needless to say, the manager, a guy who seemed as though he had no clue of being a manager tried to seat us in two booths. Not only were we annoyed, we were furious. We just sat down to get the dinner over with vowing to never come back. We sat down in two booths that were back to back and the food was simply nasty and uneatable. Example, my sister and I had a steak, salmon, and shrimp dinner and I had salmon and the salmon was small like 2 inches long and 3 inches wide. The steak was hard, nasty, and not seasoned. We look over to the left of us and there was a reservation for a party of 20 full of teenagers and kids; but I thought you dont do reservations. The only positive to this place was the server. She was so friendly and we gave her a great tip! Cheesecake factory in Crabtree, please listen, many of your members who are somewhat invested in your company and patronize it have already sent a letter, phone calls, emails, and etc. to let them know how disgusted we were to have even been treated like that. This review may not go anywhere, or it might, who is to say, but I WOULD NOT EVER GO TO CHEESECAKE FACTORY IN CRABTREE MALL IN RALEIGH, NC EVER AGAIN AND I DONT RECOMMEND ANYONE ELSE DOES EITHER...THEY ARE PREJUDICE, RACISTS, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT EVEN ALIVE IN THE ATMOSPHERE!

A

A Private User

My wife and I just moved to the triangle area this spring. We’ve lived in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and have dined at most of the Cheesecake Factory locations in those areas. We’ve also visited a few locations while traveling, so we both have experience with really good cheesecake, and the food that’s served with this chain. We know good cheesecake. We’ve eaten it. This wasn’t good cheesecake. My overall score for the Raleigh NC location 4325 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27612 is a sad 3 out of 10. First, the worst offense is the obvious “cream from a can” that’s used on all the cheesecake served. It’s crap. Bland and flavorless, lacking all the rich subtlety that good homemade cream should possess. It’s basically white fat free (and taste free) cool whip. At the Dallas, Texas locations we dined at, the cream was rich, smooth, and oh so delicious. One taste and you knew you were eating a decadent dessert. Not here in Raleigh though, what we got over the course of three separate visits was bland, bland, and blander. Screwing up the cream is one thing, but the flavorless cheesecake? That’s a sin to hard too forgive. The signature dish of this restaurant is cheesecake, right? You would think that an effort would be made to plate the oh so perfect, oh so wonderful, sinfully rich and creamy cheesecakes, but they don’t. The cheesecakes are bland and flavorless. It’s the mark of a chain of restaurants that’s taken its collective eye off the ball, and focused on volume to the masses. Pump the crowds in, pump them out, turn those tables over. Linda’s Fudge cake was the second most decadent dessert on the CF menu. The Godiva Chocolate cheesecake is most decadent. We tried both at this location. Both has the bland flavorless cream. Linda’s fudge cake was a bit dry and the icing wasn’t up to par from what we expected, the texture was off. I suspect cheaper ingredients are being used. The Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake fortunately was as rich and creamy as we remembered. The burgers are good, as are the fries. This is the one test that every restaurant has to pass if burgers are on the menu. Fortunately, this restaurant does burgers right. Many of the fried dishes are also palatable. The pasta dishes can be hit and miss, depending on the cook, kitchen volume, and other factors. I would suggest a visit if you have low standards and are easily impressed. Judging from the teen crown we saw spilling over into every corner, CF seems to cater to the younger crowd who sometimes forgo flavor for some other interest, as in conversation, or a hip design. True gourmands would do well to seek other accommodations in the area, of which, plenty abound.

TY

Tyeisha Scriven

Usually the Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorite places to go, tonight I had a very different experience and was very unpleased with the management. First we waited for over an hour to be seated, granted we did have a large party so we expected the wait. After seeing quite a few parties, some large as well, come in after us and were seated before us, we asked how much longer before we would be seated. We asked a total of 3 times and every time we were told an additional 20 to 30 more minutes. (They had booked us on top of another party and was waiting for them to leave before seating us instead of accommodating another area for us, and that party was still eating.) After the 3rd time of asking about the wait, we asked for the manager. The manager was very rude and wanted to argue about the wait time. He said his staff quoted us 60 to 90 min wait time, double the time we were told. If we were told 60 to 90 min wait in the first place, we would not have been upset about the wait. We would have still waited, walked around the mall and do whatever, but we were originally told a 30 to 40min wait. The manager did clear a space for us in a timely manner after that, but continued to go back and forth with us over the wait times. After we expressed that we were not pleased with the service we were receiving, he made the comment that he wanted for us to be happy, but he was not going to spend hundreds of dollars to pay for our meals. He said, “Let’s be honest, our first priority is to make money. Then it’s to make the costumer happy.”…Even if that is what you are taught, why would you say that to the customer??? We told him we never asked for free meals or to even take a percentage off of the check. Maybe an appetizer for the table for the inconvenience would be nice, but I was still unhappy with the way he said that. It was in a very undermining tone. He did end up giving us free appetizers for the table, but it was like pulling teeth. I didn’t even want it after all that. Never have I been treated or talked to like that before and especially by a manager. The wait time was one thing, but the manager’s attitude and the way he reacted was completely over the top and not at all professional. I will not be going back to this Cheesecake Factory again. We will find another place to meet up and have our dinners. I gave it 2 stars because at least the waiters were nice. Even though they seemed a little hesitant at first after seeing us going back and forth with their manager.