The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Drove 2 hours on Sunday 8/27 to meet friends in Indy to celebrate my birthday. Picked Cheesecake Factory because I hadn't been there in over 10 years. Had a reservation and checked in when we arrived. Table wasn't quite ready, so got a text about 5 minutes later saying table was ready and went back to hostess to have our party seated. Once seated we were told by our server that while we were there during the brunch serving hours (reservation was for 1:00 and brunch served until 2:00) that there had been a fire on their grill, so a lot of the brunch items were unavailable. No problem as none of us had planned to order off the brunch menu. Ordered drinks and appetizers, and one member of my party ordered an espresso and was told that the machine was broken, so unable to order an espresso. It only went downhill from there. When we went to order our actual meal, no lie , almost half the menu was unavailable because of the issue with the grill. The first 3 things I tried to order off of their specialties menu was unavailable. Chicken Madeira, unavailable. Steak Diane, unavailable. Chicken Marsala, unavailable. Shepherd's pie, unavailable. Parmesan herb crusted chicken, unavailable. Basically any of the crusted chicken dishes were unavailable. It just went on and on. So I settled on ordering a filet mignon, which was cooked perfectly, but it was NOT what I wanted. I can get filet mignon anywhere. And it cost me almost $15 more than any of the other dishes I wanted. When all was said and done, half of our party of 6 were not able to order what they wanted because of the "fire" on the grill. Not sure what the grill has anything to do with Shepherd's pie, or how it was possible to order filet mignon with a non-functioning grill, but not any of the crusted chicken dishes, which I don't think require grilling. Almost $300 later for our party of 6, we left very disappointed. It was not the birthday celebration I hoped for. I felt bad for the server for having to keep coming back to tell us that certain dishes weren't available. If this was the case, we should have been notified when we first checked in (or checked in the second time when our table was ready) that a good portion of the menu was not available. It was not fair to wait to tell us until after we had already ordered drinks and appetizers, and it was too late to get up and leave. I gave 2 stars because we were able to use a free cheesecake coupon, and the cheesecake we ordered was very good. But all in all it was a very disappointing experience, and I doubt I will ever go back. We did hear the people at the tables on either side of ours complaining too about the limited menu, and not being told when they arrived that so many menu items would be unavailable to order. Very poor customer service...

I find it challenging to write this review. I have always been a fan of The Cheesecake Factory and have visited both the local and Louisville locations 17 times in the last year. This is noteworthy given the plethora of other dining options available, including Ruth's Chris, Livery, Mesh, 1830 Chophouse, Harry and Izzy's, to name a few in the Indianapolis and Louisville area. My choice to dine at The Cheesecake Factory has always been fueled by my enjoyment of the food and atmosphere.

However, my recent visit was far from enjoyable. From the greeting by the host to the absence of dessert offerings, the experience left much to be desired. Upon informing the host of our 6:15 reservation, we were tersely instructed to stand aside with no friendly greeting or pleasantries. The host's demeanor was devoid of hospitality.

Our server, Terra (if I spelled that correctly), left much to be desired. Describing her as a server is a stretch; she operated more as an order taker. As soon as we sat down, she immediately inquired about our drink preferences and readiness to order. No warm greetings, no inquiry about our well-being or any attempt to engage in friendly conversation. It was a stark contrast to my previous positive experiences. Despite not being asked or suggest to buy a appetizer. I ordered the stuffed mushrooms , a usual favorite, there was no inquiry into our satisfaction with the appetizer. Terra's approach lacked the customary suggestions or attempts to upsell, even neglecting to propose a salad – a staple for me on every visit yet this time no.

Our main courses arrived promptly, but the temperature and presentation left much to be desired. After only a few bites, I found it challenging to force myself to eat my once-favorite dish. I even put my napkin on top of my dish and surprisingly, Terra did not inquire about our satisfaction or address any issues. The most disappointing part was the absence of an offer for dessert. When I requested to speak to a manager, I was informed that he was too busy, and my attempt to locate the manager personally proved futile.

Several other issues, such as messy tables and servers on their phones, further detracted from the overall experience. As someone deeply involved in the restaurant industry, I take such matters personally. What could have been a $150 bill turned into a $64 bill, and it seemed that no one cared. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this...

I go to The Cheesecake Factory frequently & I've always stated how spectacular this Cheesecake Factory is & I always recommend people to The Cheesecake Factory. I Love it.

Yet, here recently I was just A little bit disappointed the last time I had just gone.

My Parmesan chicken sandwich had came out with A few little bites of chicken, like someone tried to savor the last piece that they had by chopping it up & there was barely any sauce on the sandwich. Even some of the servers looked at My plate & were like that's dry & doesn't look right.

I was professional & I just asked for it to be remade correctly, because the cook may have been new, or something.

The cooks remade it correctly. Thank you! I truly appreciate that!

I was definitely beyond satisfied after.

Thank you!

Now what I'm A little disappointed in, is that they have Happy Hour, Yet it's mandatory that you have to sit at the bar.

You're not able to sit at A regular table/booth & order from the Happy Hour menu.

I thought that the lady was joking at first, because I was trying to order food.

She was serious!

You also aren't allowed to pay/order from the Happy Hour & get it to go.

I don't understand that.

That's A weird rule.

Not everyone likes to sit at the bar & as long as the customer is paying & not being rude to staff, or anyone that's all that should matter.

I would've ordered way more if I could've ordered where I was already sitting, Yet since it was mandatory that I sit at the bar, I just ordered two things instead.

You all are missing out on money.

Thank you!

Response to owner:

Hello, Evening. Google doesn't allows us to respond to your message, so I have to write back here.

Thank you!

I was completely satisfied with My food after it was remade correctly.

Thank you!

I'm dissappointed that you all made it mandatory that in order for someone to order from A select menu, who's not getting any alcohol, just food have to sit at A bar to eat & can't order to go.

That's A ridiculous rule.

I can understand there's certain times for the Happy Hour, that I understand,

Yet to tell someone that it's mandatory for them to sit at the bar to eat from the same menu that all of the remaining foods are on & I'm already at A table is ridiculous.

It shouldn't matter where someone sits, or what someone orders as long as they're paying, tipping the servers, & being...