The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in Fresno

Birthday Dinner was a nightmare! I called the restaurant a month before to make a reservation for 19 people for my birthday dinner. The person who helped me advised me to call the morning of the day to inform them of the time we would be arriving to accommodate us. I called a week before, the day before and the morning of to keep reminding them. This birthday dinner was very important to me as family and friends were coming out of town to spend time with me. I arrived at 6:00pm to ensure my party would have a table at 6:30pm. The manager, Samantha mentioned it would be and hour to an hour and a half wait. I waited patiently with my party and at 7:30pm the manager mentioned it would be another 30 minutes to and hour. I was very dissatisfied and disappointed. My mother approached another manager, who is older (around 70 years old) and wears glasses and he discriminated my mother by saying to her “we can’t sit you, if you’re not going to buy anything.” My heart ached as I never experienced this at this place. I went back to the Samantha and mentioned to her how other parties were being seated and we had been waiting for a long time with one of my pregnant friend not haven’t eaten. As I saw open tables, I told Samantha that I didn’t mind being seated at different tables, I just wanted my family and friends to have dinner at this time (after some friends had already left). We were finally seated at 8:00pm and i thought our service experience would be better but it just got worse. Half the table received their food, while the other half didn’t get serve. As the birthday girl, my appetite was no longer there. I did not eat my food as I was worried about my family receiving their dinner. One of the waiters, who jumped in for the previous waitress was kind enough to offer my parents a salad while they waited for their food. At this point, my parents were falling asleep and wanted to go home. I cried at the Cheesecake Factory. It was the worst experience and birthday I have ever had. My friends trying to calm me down and cheer me up we’re also disappointed with the experience as some of them did not receive their drinks. The waitress Alexa, did a great job in trying to comfort and make the situation better by bringing a birthday dessert, which was very much appreciated. At this time, we were still waiting for the rest of the food. I requested the manager and after a short while, a different manager (not Samantha or the racist older man) approached me and apologized for the experience. He empathize and heard the horrible experience and mentioned that they would compensate for my plate, and half of the table (who waited for their dinner) and provided 3 free cheesecakes. Although this manager was kind and compassionate, my experience was a nightmare and I just wanted to leave and enjoy what was left of the night with my loved ones. I want to thank the waiter and the waitress as well as the young male manager who tried to make the experience somewhat better. I apologized to my family and friends for the ignorance, disrespect and lack of empathy from the management team. However, due to my experience, the delay in sitting us, the discrimination against my family and the lack of empathy, respect, communication and service we will NOT be coming back to this restaurant. No one should have to experience this and I sincerely hope that The Cheesecake Factory reconsiders who they hire as management and that their communication system improves. Again, me and my family will not come back and my birthday at the Cheesecake Factory is something I wish I...

Subject: Disappointing Experience at Cheesecake Factory in Fresno

Dear Cheesecake Factory Management,

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to express my profound disappointment regarding the horrible experience my family and I had at your Fresno location on June 5th. I feel compelled to reach out as we have been loyal patrons of your establishment for over seven years, considering it a destination restaurant despite the hour-long drive from our home.

Unfortunately, our visit on June 5th left us deeply dissatisfied. The series of incidents that occurred throughout our meal made it abundantly clear that the level of service we have come to expect and appreciate was severely lacking.

The disappointing experience began the moment we arrived at the restaurant. The hostess appeared visibly frustrated and agitated, which immediately set an unpleasant tone for our visit. As we were seated, it was apparent that our server was being micromanaged by someone, leading to a noticeable lack of attentiveness and professionalism.

To make matters worse, the attention to detail in fulfilling our orders was subpar. Despite my specific request for a makers Manhattan up stirred with an orange twist, I received a shaken cocktail. Additionally, our server's constant use of casual language, such as responding with "heck yeah" to our orders, only further diminished the dining experience.

Moreover, the delivery of our drinks was haphazard, with each beverage arriving at different times. We were not offered the renowned Cheesecake Factory experience we have come to appreciate, and we were never presented with the option of still or sparkling water, which has been a customary part of our previous visits. Even a basic gesture like offering bread and butter was neglected, leaving us feeling overlooked and unimportant.

To add insult to injury, we were seated at a table that was not only wet but also dirty, with lettuce remnants still present. Furthermore, the table was set for six people, despite us being a party of three. The lack of attention to these details demonstrated a blatant disregard for cleanliness and an inability to provide adequate service.

The culmination of these disappointments was the excessive waiting time for our entrees, which took over an hour to arrive. Such a delay is simply unacceptable and serves as a clear indication of the lack of organization and efficiency within your establishment. Despite bringing these concerns to the attention of the manager on duty, the only response we received was a mere apology.

I regret to inform you that, as a result of this experience, we have lost our confidence in the Fresno location of Cheesecake Factory. We have cherished our visits over the years, and it saddens us to sever our ties with a restaurant that has been a family favorite. However, unless substantial measures are taken to address the issues we encountered and regain our trust, we cannot foresee ourselves returning.

I implore you to take our feedback seriously and evaluate the areas in which your restaurant's performance has fallen short. It is my hope that you will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation, ensuring that future patrons do not endure the same disappointments we faced. Your prompt action in this matter would greatly contribute to restoring our faith in the Cheesecake Factory brand.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I sincerely hope that my family and I can once again enjoy the exceptional dining experience we had come to associate with...

I'm so disappointed and so sick. Don't eat here if you're even slightly sensitive to allergies, because my experience showed how careless this restaurant's kitchen is for people with allergies, and how absolutely unaccountable the restaurant would be in the aftermath.

My partner eats GF / gluten free when we are together, so we both got pastas. I have celiac disease and immediately told our waitress that I had an allergy to gluten. I specifically asked if the pastas could accomodate someone who is gluten free with a severe reaction risk. We were assured they press a special button and take what I'd think are all the normal precautions. And maybe they do. They have a gluten free rotini (which was also cooked a bit over in my opinion). Our waitress also assured us that she spoke with her manager, who confirmed to her that it would be safe to eat.

But he found long strips of onion (not in his dish) as well as not one, but TWO different types of gluten-containing pasta (elbows and penne). And I found in mine the different type of pasta (elbows) as well as other things that didn't belong in the dish such as peas. Don't eat here. I'm so sick. I give them a one star rating only because it should be clear that there is no safety here. FWIW, the three bites of my dish also showed the sauce was watery and broken, as was my partner's, so even that was underwhelming and disappointing.

Our server was lovely, but I don't think they do any training on food safety for people with sensitivities. This is surprising because other CheeseCake Factories have been a pleasant and safe experience. Our forks were placed directly on the table, where bread was spilled just a bit before, for one.

The manager was disappointing when he came to talk to us. On the brightest side, our food was comped and we got free dessert, but he was dismissive and quite frankly not sympathetic. The gluten free Cheesecake options (3 total) are very delicious, for what that's worth. I can't speak to their safety measures for that, considering whatever safety measures they claim to have for their dinner dishes at this storefront are obviously in poor shape.

I don't think they learn from their experiences, especially considering all of these negative reviews on the Find Me Gluten Free site, along with the manager's conduct. I would not eat here. Ive eaten at other Cheesecake factories; same your money on literally any other restaurant unless you want to be dismissed when you try to explain how sick you get when restaurants say they can accommodate but then things like this happen. There are plenty other great celiac friendly restaurants in Fresno. This is not one of them. Particularly not for how expensive it is.

My mom called, who was also with us, and my partner already left a review for their website. As of now writing this review (I ate at the restaurant Friday evening), none of us have received any communication from the restaurant or the corporation. I'm not trying to be a jerk; I've eaten at other Cheesecake Factory restaurants and never had this experience both in terms of the gluten experience and how poor my pasta's quality was in the first place. But I'm most upset because I feel lied to about their food safety and food preparation practices, which is deceitful and has led to me now experiencing several days of pain and other symptoms. Disappointed.

EDITED TO ADD: My partner, my mom and another member of our party have all reached out to corporate as this comment has suggested, and none of us have yet received any...