The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in West Des Moines

Update: One week later and still no response to this review, yet they continue to respond to positive reviews only. The scripted response of sending additional details to their 'Contact Us' page is a useless amount of your time. I never heard back after submitting my experience to their official website regarding my experience.

Sadly, this was not the greatest experience we had ordering from the Cheesecake Factory. We made an online order an hour in advanced for curbside pickup. The order wasn't anything large, but did total $192 (after the default 15% tip was unexpectedly added to the online order). We arrived at the designated curbside location and called the number on the sign. Our pickup time was scheduled for 7:30PM on a Wednesday. When we called, we were told the order wasn't ready yet, but should be out "soon". 25 minutes later, we received our order. There was another gentleman waiting for his curbside order as well. He stated that he received an automated text stating his order was ready at 7:30, but he was still waiting even after we received our food so late. For my order, the website claimed my order was "Complete" at 7:30. I never received a text message even though the sign stated I was supposed to. Makes me wonder if the cooks are so busy, that they mark the order as served/completed even though its not to meet on-time quotas for upper management. We asked for our burger to be well done, but was VERY pink in the middle, same for our medium-well steak, more close to rare. We did not eat a majority of the steak or burger due to how raw the food appeared. While I understand things get busy, this was unacceptable given the near $25 tip provided in advanced and for quality of food not matching what we ordered. The Cheesecake Factory was supposed to be our last vacation treat, and unfortunately they missed the mark. Also disappointing that in order to receive a response from the company you have to go to their Contact Us page on their site and just resubmit this information. If customer service is a top priority they should be reaching out to me, not make me resubmit all this again to their site. Looks like they respond to negative feedback on Google Reviews with a scripted response. Not much of a personal...

We decided to stop here during a long drive back from Council Bluffs. Considering how far we had to drive, we felt lunch was in order. And it did not disappoint.

Our server was very friendly and kept us informed of any dining specials available at the time. She kept up with other services to our table (refilling my water, bringing out more bread, etc.). She definitely deserved any tips she got that day.

Our food was as excellent as the service. My mom got a soup and salad combo (Caesar Salad and Artichoke Mushroom Soup), my dad chose the Flatbread Margherita Pizza, and I selected the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta. All of which were Lunch Specials; definitely saving us some money.

My pasta was delicious: the chicken was tender, the sauce was flavorful and not too spicy, the pasta was neither too hard nor too soft, and the vegetables were cooked well.

Between the two breads offered (of which, both were great), I definitely had a preference for the sourdough. It had an excellent crunch on the outside and was fluffy on the inside.

Given how well we ate that day, taking our cheesecake to go was the only logical choice. I selected the Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake (as seen in this review). Unfortunately, it was not secured properly for the drive home and got slightly damaged from the driving and bumpy roads.

Fortunately, the taste was unaffected and was rich and creamy as one would expect from the signature desserts of the Cheesecake Factory.

The other desserts chosen by my parents were the Lemon Raspberry Cream and the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecakes. Both received nothing but praise.

One downside to this place: it gets expensive. Let me emphasize: EXPENSIVE!!! $$$

One slice of cheesecake goes for about $10 these days and that’s including the least fancy options. The slices go for as much as about $13-14. Our bill (tip included) went over $100. For a party of three. Make sure you have plenty of money in the bank for an outing here. If not, wait till later.

If this place isn’t too rich for your blood (or credit cards), then you’ll definitely have an excellent meal and no shortage of delectable...

Pizza was burnt black with baking paper stuck to it. Could not get it off part of it once I knew what was on it. It took an hour to even get the food to begin with. The server was not friendly at all. When I mentioned the pizza, she glared at me. She later came back and said it would be comped and it had happened before. She failed to ask or offer drink refills, forgot straws, and the salad dressing. Then, when she finally bussed the table, she spilled an almost full container of vinegrette all over my shoes and me, and she did not even appologize. She ruined an expensive pair of cork sandals that you can't get oil out of. I told my friend she was rude, after she had left the area. Next time she walked by, under her breath, she said, "You're special." She did all this in front of 2 young adults in our party. They noticed everything she did. Sad example for two great kids to see. It took asking 3 times to get someone to clean up the grease slick that was all over. I had surgery 3 days prior and could not risk falling. Very few times have I have a horrible experience eating out. Two of those times were at Cheese Cake Factory. I would have tipped this server well despite the burnt pizza, but her deplorable attitude, lack of good service, and rudeness were not warranted at all. I kept calm and never raised my voice. I just wanted to get out of there. The sad part is my friend and I drove 1 hr and 2+ hours respectively to meet for her birthday just like we had last year. We won't bother going there again. Overpriced, burnt food, terribly rude service. We won't be going again. J.G., had you apologized, you would have received a large tip. The food wasn't your fault. However, your attitude is your...