The Cheesecake Factory, Raleigh, North Carolina, Desserts Restaurant Details

Food:

Downhill. Waiter was nice but that's about it. Food is upgraded Panera (ugh). Examples are watered down Fettucini Alfredo, tasteless avocado egg roles, plastic tasting mashed potatoes. Bathrooms were a wreck with paper towels all over the floor. They've chepened service in so many ways- packaged butter with your bread...am I at Cracker Barrel or Cheesecake Factory? Hostesses ignore you and most wait staff appear stressed. Will be trading my Christmas stocking cards from Cheesecake Factory for ten dollar iTunes cards and sticking with local restaurants if I feel like spending $50 on a meal. Irregardless cafe sorry we cheated on you tonight.

Food:

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.

Food:

I must say that the location is pretty decent. It is located on the top floor of the Crabtree Valley Mall, so it tends to get crowded. My suggestion to anyone who plans on eating here, ensure that you make a reservation. If you decide to do a walk-in, your looking at a 30 - 45 minute wait. This ties into how popular the place is as well as the quality. The staff seem very professional and they are also focused on making sure you have an enjoyable experience at the Cheesecake Factory.
My experience was pretty good. I had the chicken alfredo and it was ok for the most part. They have a great variety of foods and the dessert selection is superb. Great place to take a loved one for a special occasion (i.e. Birthday, Anniversary or Proposal). It is a little expensive so be sure to budget before you come (unless your earning a 6 figure salary).

Food:

Today was my very first visit to a Cheesecake Factory EVER. I was excited to have lunch with my family for my grandson's birthday. I ordered the Skinnylicious Chicken Salad Sandwich. According to the menu, this is a "housemade chicken salad with toasted almonds, lettuce, tomato and mayonaisse. Served on toasted brioche bread with a green salad". It was not. My chicken salad contained no almonds, toasted or otherwise. It was not served on toasted brioche bread, either. It was served on regular bread, which was actually burned...blackened, if you will. I scraped the scant amount of chicken salad off the burned toast to eat it, and was very disappointed to discover how bland it was.

My 21 year old son ordered a burger, which he wouldn't finish. His comment was it was horrible, that it tasted like a greasy grill. (We arrived at this restaurant at 11:00 a.m., just as it opened for lunch. The grill shouldn't have had ANY sort of a greasy build-up on it to cause the burger to taste this way unless it wasn't cleaned properly the night before, if at all.) He also said he's eaten at several different Cheesecake Factories, and the food was always good at the other restaurants.

When our server came to clear our plates, she ignored the fact my plate was covered with burned toast and my son's plate contained a half-eaten burger. She also didn't ask any of the five of us at the table how we liked our meals (possibly because she didn't want to address my son's and my obviously problematic food).

Bottom line for me is this: I may or may not visit a different Cheesecake Factory in the future, but I'm most definitely not returning to this location.

I gave the restaurant experience two stars because the place was clean, we were seated quickly, and, up until the end of our meal, our server had been very attentive and personable. Otherwise, I would give it only one star for the food.

Food:

Great decor and quick service upon entering at 9 p.m. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp bistro pasta and I ordered the chicken fettuccini alfredo. The food itself was good, however the waitress soured the experience. We saw our waitress sparingly, and her section had only three other table besides ours. When we did get a chance to speak to her it would be another 15 minutes before we can see her again. Seeing how it was 9 p.m., I was expecting a full portion instead of importunate did not even reach the side or crest the inner lip of the bowl. When asked, our waitress said that was a dinner portion. I should have taken a picture, but to illustrate, the portion I received was maybe one hand full but certainly not two of fettuccine. Another bad part of the dinner was having to argue over drinks. We were seated in close proximity, maybe two tables away, from the bar and we could see what liquor the restaurant had. The waitress refused my girlfriends drink order a couple of times until I pointed out where the specific bottle was. If I go back I will definitely make sure I do not get that waitress and I will make sure I speak to a manager if I have an issue with the food first off.
UPDATE: Sam and Peter (Managers) helped me out and sent a gift card to me. Very great set of guys! Bumping this up to 4 stars.