The Cheesecake Factory — Restaurant in West Palm Beach

Short story: Unprofessional and inexperienced staff, outdated technology, inefficient service, unpleasant experience, food as expected.

The thing that bothered me most was the significant lack of teamwork. This was an inexperienced server working a 12 top alone. No help. No food runners asking about condiments. No bussers clearing the table. No leadership stoping by the table to check on things. He did everything alone which is why the night felt like a drag. This was pretty sad for a Wednesday night that was not busy.

Long story:

The hostess… I came to this location for a birthday dinner. It was a party of 12. Reservations were not allowed for large parties so when we arrived at 7:45 pm we asked to be put on the list. We were told that a table would be ready in about 20-25 minutes, and if 1/2 of the party was present, we could be seated. Half of the party was present by 8 pm but we were not seated until about 8:30. (45 minutes instead of 25) It’s understood that a larger party could have a longer wait but the restaurant was not honest/transparent about the time. I walked around the restaurant and saw the table being set up up nonchalantly with no sense of urgency while another staff member chatted with him and did not assist with setting up the table.

The bartender… I ordered a French 75 with cognac. The drink is made with gin or cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup and champagne. The server returned and said the bartender could not make the drink and claimed that they did not have the ingredients. Then he said that the bartender could not replace the champagne with cognac, which was a clear sign that the bartender and the server were clueless about champagne cocktails. (Champagne is the star of the show.. why would I replace it? A quick google search would tell you how to make the drink.) After repeating & clarifying that I wanted cognac instead of gin, the server returned to tell me, in front of a party of 12, that the drink would be $30, loudly and with no discretion. I was confused. (My thoughts: Why didn’t he tell me that discretely? Why did the bartender lie about not having the ingredients? Is this a micro aggression because a Black woman ordered cognac? Honestly who cares about the price, It’s a BIRTHDAY DINNER, just give me what I ordered and collect your tip money.)

The staff…

Drinks came out at a decent time and appetizers shortly after but a guest in the party waited more than 20 minutes for ranch dressing and her appetizer got cold before she could enjoy it.

Our entrees came out at about 10 pm.

It took more than 30 minutes for the server to check everyone out. He collected checks one by one, walking to the computer and walking back each time.

Seems like a mixture of outdated technology and a lack of experience on the part of everyone in the restaurant. They need a Toast system or some kind of handheld device. And they need Resy or Open Table or some kind of reservation software that allows reservations for large parties with a card on file.

Note to...

UNACCEPTABLE Experience at The Cheesecake Factory - West Palm Beach Date of Visit: Sunday, November 17, 2024 /

• Table 36 • 0670a

I am beyond disappointed with the experience I had at The Cheesecake Factory in West Palm Beach. What was supposed to be a pleasant and special evening turned into an absolute disaster, thanks to the abysmal quality of the food and poor handling by the kitchen staff.

I initially ordered the Chicken Bellagio, and when it arrived, the chicken was unbearably tough. Trying to remain polite, I calmly mentioned this to the server, who kindly assured me that the manager would address it and replace the dish. Shortly after, they brought me a new Chicken Bellagio, but to my dismay, the chicken was just as tough as the first one. I expressed my dissatisfaction again, and the server offered to switch my order. I decided I no longer wanted to eat there, so I requested the replacement dish, a Chicken Madeira, to-go instead.

Now here’s where it goes from bad to utterly unacceptable: When I arrived home, I opened the to-go box to find a complete mess. The sauce was spilled everywhere, the mashed potatoes were bland and flavorless, and worst of all—the chicken was disgustingly raw! That’s right, RAW CHICKEN! This is not just unacceptable; it’s a serious health hazard.

I am now dealing with stomach discomfort and potential food poisoning due to this negligence. I remained polite throughout the entire experience, never raising my voice or being disrespectful, yet the kitchen staff showed complete disregard for basic food preparation and customer care.

This location’s kitchen is an embarrassment to the Cheesecake Factory name, and their standards are clearly nonexistent. They are set to move to a new location nearby on December 12, but I STRONGLY urge anyone reading this to avoid this restaurant altogether.

This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. Raw chicken is not just poor service—it’s a danger to public health. I hope management takes this review seriously and implements immediate changes, because I will not stay silent about this incident. No one else should have to endure such an awful experience.

If you’re looking for a pleasant evening out, DO NOT go to this location.

PS: I have videos and pictures and receipt, I am willing to report everything everywhere if needed cuz this is...

My boyfriend and I decided to come here for lunch yesterday and we did not receive the best service whatsoever. The waiter that we had was awesome, but the actual service and the food was terrible. Upon walking in, the hostess wouldn’t even make eye contact with me and was worried about another situation happening at the cheesecake takeout line. I had to say hello to her several times in order for her to greet us. When we finally got to our table, the silverware was disgusting and dirty, and the table seemed like it never got wiped off from the prior people sitting there eating. Our waiter came over and took our drink order, which took over 15 minutes for them to be made. We ordered appetizers, which didn’t come out until 30 minutes later. The waiter could see how irritated we were and told us that he requested a manager to come over to speak to us. We were shocked due to the fact that we didn’t ask for a manager, but understood that he could feel our irritation due to the long wait time. It took another 30 minutes for our main dishes to come out just for them to be incorrect. My boyfriend ordered the $45 filet mignon medium, and it came out extremely well done to the fact that it had burn marks on the top and bottom, and even tasted burnt. By this point, the manager still hadn’t stopped by and I requested someone come speak to us regarding this matter. We would have been OK if the steak was medium well, but this was extremely burnt. One of the managers came over and spoke with us regarding our lunch and how long everything took to come out. She offered to take off one of the appetizers off the bill and gave us free desserts. My boyfriend ordered a drink before our lunch came out and he didn’t receive the drink until after our dessert came out. We spent $150 for not so good service and mediocre food. Won’t be returning to this location again. Would 100% like for someone to reach out to me regarding our...