The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in Annapolis

I called on 1/13/2024 to make a reservation for 8. I was told by the employee to go on website and make a reservation for 6 people but add to the notes that I need a table for 8. The only time available was 7:30 pm so I followed those exact instructions. I later received a call at 6:45 pm stating that they couldn’t accommodate 8 people at 7:30 pm because we should have gotten there 2 hours early. Emily (manager) was really nasty and even lied, yes lied. That was so unprofessional and exhibited a lack of character on her part. The young lady that called me admitted that she was the one that told me to put 8 people in the notes of the reservation but Emily, in an attempt to insult my intelligence, informed me otherwise and muted the young lady as she was being honest. I’m appalled that a manager would just outright lie about something as small as that. I do understand the pressure of the service industry but if I would have known earlier that I was given the wrong instructions, we would have chosen differently earlier before other restaurants became booked. This was in fact a Birthday celebration and we had a few family and friends coming from different locations in the DMV. I asked Emily to speak with another manager, she said “okay” but never returned to the phone or had another manager to pick up.

Meanwhile, I had to rush there before my guests got there to straighten things out. Emily and the young lady that gave me false information (Emily told me that her name was Emma but I was told by several people that Emma didn’t work there-another lie by Emily).

Once there, manager Han did his best to accommodate our party but what should have been a great celebration was minimized but was saved by server Eugenia! The entire party agreed that they have never had a server like her. Not only was she extremely accommodating, she was diligent, patient and made us feel special; her customer service was impeccable!

Kudos to Han and Eugenia!!! They really saved the night!

Also, the food was fantastic so shoutout to the Chefs.

I’m hoping that Emily will not lie and insult the intelligence of customers...

The Cheesecake Factory, a ubiquitous presence in American neighborhoods, was once a regular family dining spot in my previous town. However, after moving to Annapolis, this was my first visit in four years, even though it’s not far from home. Typically, Sunday evenings see a decline in patrons, but this location maintained its popularity with a short, yet telling, waitlist. The interior remains fancy and trendy, as always, and I recall the food being reasonably priced. However, after revisiting the menu, it seems inflation—or perhaps a slight shift towards a more upscale experience—has crept in.

Our meal began with the customary bread and butter. Naturally, my son and I gravitated toward the ribeye steak, accompanied by asparagus and broccoli. The domestic engineer of mine ordered the crab dip and an Aperol Spritz for her, and the Chinese Chicken Salad was for a shared salad. The receptionists and servers were bustling about in the spacious dining area, which, despite its huge floor size, was packed with tables, necessitating careful navigation through the narrow aisles. Despite the full house, the food arrived in a timely manner. My steak was perfect medium with grill mark and balancedly seasoned. The cut was a bit thinner than that of other steakhouse, but safe ans easy cooking might be beneficial for busy family restaurants.

Given that a visit to The Cheesecake Factory is incomplete without indulging in cheesecake, we couldn’t resist taking a slice of red velvet cheesecake to-go. However, with the entire family watching their carbs, one slice was all...

Our dinner date was like a cringy restaurant comedy. We would have had a better time had we spent our anniversary going to Chik-fil-A instead. That's what we told each other afterwards.

Right after we got seated, a waitress and a bus boy got into a fight right in front of us about dirty tables, all while this poor couple next to us stood awkwardly waiting for their table to be cleaned. Our waiter, poor guy, was this high anxiety fella who seemed way in over his head. He told us our order would be out quickly, and then he kept telling us our food would be out within five minutes... for the next hour and fifteen minutes we waited! It honestly wasn't even that busy.

To apologize, the waiter said the manager offered us a free slice of cheesecake for the crazy wait. So, we were happy to give the benefit of the doubt. When our order finally came, our waiter forgot our salad, but we were so hungry we wolfed down the food in ten minutes. Mine tasted like it had been waiting out for me almost as long as I had been waiting for it. Well, then we said we'd like our slices of cheesecake to go since it was by now pretty late, only for the waiter to tell us... our inconvenience only warranted one free slice for the two of us! lol. At least he didn't charge us for the salad, a feat which he was comically proud of himself for having swung in our favor.

Thankfully, my wife and I are of easy humor and we laughed it all off. But for real, I regret not just going to Chick-Fil-A instead. Thanks for the unforgettable dinner... Our first date at the Cheesecake Factory will...