The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in Gainesville

My most recent visit was not what I have came to expect…. We didn’t mind the wait. It is almost pleasant to see people piling up to eat at a place. Normally, it is evidence of good things to come. We really liked their updated atmosphere. They were undergoing transformation upon our last visit and we were pleasantly surprised by the new look. After the dinner rush it was understandable that they were recovering and therefore the slight delay in serving our drinks and bread were expected. However, our server was absent before we realized that we had no way to cut our bread and the butter was served cold and hard. The next time we saw our server was when our appetizer came out. At this time I requested some softer butter and a knife (which we never received). Our appetizer of cheeseburger rolls arrived hot and tasty which gave us hope in salvaging our declining experience. The wait for our entrees was within reason but once again, our waiter had rushed off before I noticed that I still lacked a knife for cutting my steak. My companions salmon was prepared to her liking and she was able to begin enjoying her meal while I patiently tried to make eye contact with any available staff that I could see. I was ready to get up and go find a knife when a new face appeared to thank me for ordering breakfast potatoes. I kindly requested a cutting instrument for my meal and was promptly supplied with one. Upon cutting into my steak I was pleased to find it both still warm and cooked to my satisfaction. The eggs on the other hand were concerning. As someone who was raised on eggs and who’s family owned laying houses, I know what an egg should look and taste like. These eggs were pale and watery. I attempted to consume them against my better judgment only to conclude that it was like trying to eat wet tissue paper. The potatoes were room temperature at best and a bit firm for my taste. They reminded me of old potatoes that I have tried to cook that just wouldn’t soften. I downed my paltry serving of meat while it was still warm and awaited the return of the waiter. After being informed of my disappointment with my meal he replied “I’ll send my manager out.” while making a hasty retreat. The manager arrived shortly thereafter. Standing over me he said “Why are you mad”. Slightly caught off guard by this so called manager’s unprofessional approach and seemingly defensive attitude I replied that my dining experience was less than I had come to expect from this facility and I would appreciate if deducted the cost of the eggs and potatoes from my bill. I made it a point to commend him on what I thought they did well and at no time did I throw my waiter under the proverbial bus. He informed me that the price of the before mentioned shortcomings would indeed be deducted from our final costs and he was returning my plate to the kitchen. He then turned and haughtily departed our company. It seemed odd that my girlfriends food was taken away from our table to be boxed and we laughed nervously to ourselves as to why that may be (and, no. She has decided not to eat them.😆). I can see our waiter was probably a little under-trained and slightly overwhelmed. I’ve worked a bit in the industry and know things can get tense. However, I do hold a grudge against the supposed manager. His people skills are of the same ilk as...

On Tuesday, 3/12/24, my husband and I, along with our two grandchildren (ages 16 and 23) went to The Cheesecake Factory in Gainesville for lunch. No one was at the hostess station waiting for a table so we asked for a booth. The hostess advised it would be a 5-10 minute wait. We said no problem and started looking at the wonderful slices of cheesecake available. After waiting about 10 minutes the hostess told us our booth was ready. She took us completely across the restaurant to the other side and gave us a booth next to the window and at the entrance to the kitchen – extremely noisy. Please note – the restaurant was not crowded and there were many empty booths and tables that we saw on the way back to the booth next to the kitchen. We waited approximately 10 minutes and no one came to our table. My husband was upset so he went back to the hostess station and advised we wanted a different booth. By the time he got back to where we were sitting our waitress had just shown up and asked my husband how he was doing. My husband advised that he was not happy with the extremely noisy booth and wanted to be moved. The hostess had told him we had to go back up to the hostess station. The waitress said she had found a booth for us on the other side of the restaurant – NEXT TO THE HOSTESS STATION and RESTROOMS. At any rate, we finally sat down and our waiter, Bobby, showed up and offered us drinks. My husband wanted water with lemon, my granddaughter ordered a soda and my grandson ordered a plain lemonade. I ordered the “specialty” drink – Georgia Peach. Our waiter advised that it would be a 15 minute wait for the LEMONADE and the Georgia Peach – no explanation. He came back a few minutes later and asked if I was aware the Georgia Peach contained alcohol. I told him yes and couldn’t wait to try it. Since we were going to have to wait 15 minutes I asked him to recommend an appetizer so we could snack on something, since this visit was turning into a long one. Finally after 20 minutes my Georgia Peach and his lemonade arrived, along with our appetizer. While we were eating our pretzel bites and dipping into the cheese that came with it, a spider on a web from the ceiling came right onto our table. My grandson quickly disposed of it but I couldn’t believe an actual spider was sliding down his web to our food. After that, our entrees appeared and we were on our way to finish lunch. We were stuffed so we wanted our cheesecakes to go, and ordered 3 different slices. We were never offered to join the rewards club for cheesecake purchases. I paid our check - $201 (which included the tip). I have sent thee comments to The Cheesecake Factory and not heard from anyone. I think the management of the staff needs some help and I still have no idea why it would take 15 minutes for a plain lemonade and a specialty drink which was the first one listed on the page for...

I ordered my food to go through the website I was told my food would take 25-35 minutes. I sat outside during that time. Never received a text saying my food was ready after waiting 30 minutes so I went inside. I gave my name and the young lady had my food on the counter next to the open freezer. I asked how long my food had been sitting there she paused to answer. Another lady blurted out oh it just came out. So I opened the container with my food right in front of them and the food was cold to the touch. So the lady who blurted that it just came out immediately said I’ll get you a manager. I said yes please do that because this food is cold and I said at this point I really just want a refund she sarcastically responded back “perfect” with a smile and walked off. then I had to wait 20 minutes for a manager to come out who didn’t have a reason why I my food was cold. I pointed to her one of the obvious reasons is my food is sitting next to the cheesecake freezer that has been open now for the past 30 minutes that I’ve been standing in the restaurant. And while speaking with this manager name, Alyssa, the other cashier, who was smiling and thought, this whole thing was funny pace, back-and-forth in the background, giggling and laughing at me, The manager Alyssa refused to turn around to take a look at the open freezer that I was obviously pointing at that had been open for over 30 minutes at this point. I was then told she couldn’t give me my refund until the end of the night when she processes all the refunds. So here it is three days later I have yet to be refunded for my food that I never received. $25 down the drain. When I ask for the general manager’s name, she handed me a card and wrote her name on it and then stated I would like the general managers name she said well his name is Steve and I highly doubt you’ll ever talk to him. The service that I received on Wednesday night was horrible and unprofessional and I have yet to be compensated for the time that I sat there and waited to get cold food and I still haven’t received my money for the food I...