The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in San Diego

Horrible service and the worse manager. My family and I stopped by for my wife's birthday to get some dessert. We asked for a table and they said it was a 30 min wait. I noticed that all the outdoor tables were open. People weren't out there because it was cold. I asked if we could have an outdoor table and let them know we are only getting cheesecake. They told me that I don't need a table. Instead, I should get the cheesecake to-go and go around the corner because there are tables there. It seemed weird, but I agreed and ordered $65 worth of cheesecake to go. When we went out to were they directed we discovered it was an exit to the outside to general seating for the shopping complex. Not part of cheesecake factory. No heat lamps and no lighting. So instead of allowing us to sit in their outdoor tables, they wanted us to sit in the dark and cold. I directed my family back inside and brought them to the cheesecake factory outdoor seating area next to a heat lamp and started to eat out desserts. The hostess came out and said we had to leave because we ordered to go and the tables are reserved for dine in. I explained the situation and asked if we could have one of the many empty tables. She said no. I insisted and she said she'd get her manager. He was the worst. He tells us that we can't have a table because it is reserved which was a bolony response. Literally, all the tables were empty besides maybe two. He says we should have asked for dine in. I said I did but was told to order to go. He said "that's too bad. Since you didn't put your name down for a table, you have to leave." All I wanted to do was to enjoy some overpriced cheesecake with my family but this manager was making things difficult and ruining my wife's birthday. I said "what harm is it for us to take one of the many empty tables to eat the cheesecake we ordered from your place? Besides, I did try to do dine in but your staff made me order to go." His response was" you're taking away tips from the waitstaff." That's ridiculous! We didn't ask for any service. We simply wanted a place to sit down to eat the desserts. We didn't even need silverware. And by the way, I wanted a table in the first place. And he assumed I didn't already tip them for the cheesecake order. I demanded a table and he finally agreed as long as we didn't bother the waitstaff. Again, we had no plans to bother anybody. We just wanted to eat our expensive desserts in peace. We were being treated like troublemakers. I'm 43 yrs old. I had my wife, two young boys, and my mom and dad in their 60s. We aren't ones to cause scenes. Just want a quiet night out. This manager should be fired. He absolutely doesn't understand the meaning of customer service. I never got an apology from him even after he realized it was a misunderstanding. His staff gave me poor direction which could easily be solved by allowing us to have one of the many empty tables. Simple as that. Instead, he embarrassed my family and I in front of others and treated us like we were trespassing or doing something illegal. I want to know this manager's name. He needs to be reprimanded for handling a simple situation so poorly and losing an entire family's future business. We also own a business and run a podcast. We could easily make our staff and entire network boycott cheesecake factory. We aren't going to do that because we are decent people. The manager has to be aware of how his actions can really harm the business over something so simple. He should have asked me what had happened and how he could make things better versus assuming I was trying to do something shady. By assuming we were at fault without asking us what had happened, he put me on the defensive and created a scene. All avoidable by a competent manager. I have retail stores. I know the importance of customer service. If one of my managers handled things the way this guy did, I would immediately...

We typically have good experiences at Cheesecake, but our experience yesterday was so bad I had to say something.

We were quoted 45 minutes as a wait, which ended up being 75. They claimed that they quoted me 60 minutes, but they didn’t. I started to question myself until I saw another reviewer from the same night who was also gaslighted by the hostess stand on the quoted time. In the end, sometimes quoted times are wrong, no biggie. But, they don’t need to lie about it after the fact.

When our server greeted us she told us how much she can’t stand the holidays and that she just wants them to end. I can understand people feel that way; weird way to greet a table, but again, no biggie.

It was a late dinner for me and my two teenage daughters and given the large entrees we ordered two entrees and an extra plate.

The food was delivered by someone other than our server who left the table so quickly that we couldn’t ask again for the extra plate that they neglected to bring . We asked a bus boy who was able to get us one.

After a while my daughter was needing a refill on her lemonade but our server was nowhere to be seen. In fact, she hadn’t checked on us at all after the food arrived. After 10 minutes I took the glass up to the bar myself and asked for the refill.

A little while later we needed some refills on our water and, again, the server was literally nowhere to be found. We waited and waited.

Finally we were done with our entrees and wanted to order dessert…but still no server. We literally hadn’t seen her for about 25 minutes at this point and we decided to leave.

I went to the hostess stand and asked to speak with a manager. They got one for me and I explained the bizarre complete lack of service and asked if we could just pay our bill with her because our server was MIA.

The manager asked if we wanted dessert (too late for that) and printed our receipt and gave it to us with a quick, “Sorry about that.”

I waited tables for a long time and it seemed like this was the perfect time to discount the ticket or offer a free dessert to go or some kind of meaningful gesture. But there was nothing. Responses by the restaurant to other negative reviews say to let a manager know if there’s an issue. Well, I did that and the manager didn’t do anything to help. So, I’m not sure that response is very genuine.

While I was signing the check the server showed up and asked if I wanted a box but didn’t offer any kind of explanation for her disappearing act during dinner....

Very disappointed and frustrated. I had called 2 weeks prior to a work dinner for 30-35 people and was told that they couldn’t take reservations for that but that i could just come a few hours early and put my name on the list to be seated. I called Eastlake location as well to be sure and they said the same about not taking reservations. Today in the morning i called and spoke with the manager. He said that we might have to be split in 2 parties but that i should come in an hour early to put my name on the list. I came in around 5:10pm to wait for a 7:00pm dinner and there is no wait time, plenty of tables open and outside seating completely vacant but he changes his word and says that he wont be able to accommodate and completely changes what he told me earlier. He says that he doesn’t have the space to seat us and that we would need to be split into small groups but we would probably eat at different times and can’t even pay on one bill (mind you im using a company card) since it would be different servers. Im not sure where the confusion and change in availability, but given the large group and covid that’s why i called two weeks ahead and even early this morning to confirm. The place is not busy so i don’t see why it is such a problem. Even if we had the outside seating, it would be acceptable. What is NOT acceptable is giving me false hope, having me come hours sooner and then turning back on the process. It has not only inconvenienced me, but my whole staff who had to accommodate to get a ride here, closing my store early today since i was on the false hope of being able to be helped out without reservation, and now i have to tell my party of 35 that we might not even be able to be seated in a timely manner. If i had known this prior to coming i would have made other plans for another restaurant that could accommodate. As of now ive been here for over half an hour just watching how slow and vacant the place is. The lack of professionalism, organization, and truthfulness is definitely leaving a bad rep on this place and the company. Especially given that my party was a whole store of employees. So i will definitely have to report this experience as well to the company that i work for, for...