The Cheesecake Factory: Time To Properly Train Your Managers !
* The Cheesecake Factory: Time To Properly Train Your Managers!
This is an OPEN LETTER To The Cheesecake Factory’s Board Of Directors:
Rather than going into detail- suffice it to say, last night in your Boca Raton location Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and 2-other couples had an absolutely lousy dining experience, ranging from dirty silverware, dirty seating, lousy food, lousy service…
This morning, Jeff Eats had a phone conversation with the Boca Raton GM…who in essence explained to me that “these things happen” because of how busy the restaurant is at this time of the year!
I ask the Board Of Directors…
WHY SHOULD YOUR PROBLEMS BECOME MY PROBLEMS?
1. If you can’t handle the business, close the fu@king doors and stop seating people.
2. If you can’t handle the business, tell me-that before you seat me.
3. If you can’t handle the business, tell me-that before you seat me and offer me a discount for the upcoming “your problems.” I can then decide if I want to play or not!
YOUR PROBLEMS AREN’T SUPPOSE TO BE MY PROBLEMS and you’d better start training your managers as to- how to handle your business, because trust me, if I’m pissed, others are too!
Last but not least, train your managers to treat your customers as if the customers were the only thing that matter, because we are!- and don’t play us for fools, because, trust Jeff Eats, we aren’t! By the way, the TOO BIG TO FAIL THEORY doesn’t apply to restaurant chains!
Printed down below is Jeff Eats’ April 29, 2009 The Cheesecake Factory “review”- and as you can see, I USE TO BE A HUGE FAN OF THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!
Not sure, Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats or our friends will ever be back!
_______
The Cheesecake Factory (Fort Lauderdale)
Posted on April 29th, 2009 · American Desserts Fort Lauderdale
***** The Cheesecake Factory, 600 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 (954) 463-1999.
I’ m gonna go out on a limb here…and guess that you guys know what The Cheesecake Factory “is”…for those that don’t, a “Casual American-Style” joint.
The Cheesecake Factory has been around for something like 30 years and has restaurants all over the United States…for the record, there are 14 in Florida. Just off the top of my head, I know that within the past 2-years I have eaten in Cheesecakes in Aventura, Boca Raton, Coconut Grove, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Beach Gardens and Miami. My latest “outing” was last night at the Las Olas location.
I call The Cheesecake Factory the “go to place.”…like when you need a real good meal–real good prices–real good portions–real good service. Take a look at this joint’s website www.thecheesecakefactory.com for menu/prices/photos/locations. The menu is something like 12-million pages long and trust me on this, you will absolutely positively find something to eat…appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, meat/seafood/chicken entrees, desserts. Your 5 year old, your teenager, your 97 year old grandma…will all enjoy eating in this joint.
Unless I am getting senile here…the decor in all locations is identical (Mayan Indian meets Inca Indian meets Horoscope)…same goes for the menu. How they do it is beyond me, but the waiters/waitresses are the most competent and pleasant group going. Let’s put it this way, The Cheesecake Factory is one of the “top” players in the casual-dining sector.
Over the years, I have eaten sliders, chicken pot stickers, meat loaf, grilled chicken, fried cheese, cobb salad, eggs…and of course cheesecake. This is just a partial-list…and let’s just say, I have never had a bad meal.
If you have eaten in The Cheesecake Factory…you know that I “speak the truth” when I tell you, that this a terrific restaurant. Big meal-small meal, dessert…this joint has you covered.
Like I said before, my last Cheesecake outing was last night at 6pm at the Olas location…had tickets for the 8pm performance of The Jersey Boys at the Broward Center. Great sliders and pot stickers with a Fresca. By the way, you don’t want to miss that-show.
The Cheesecake Factory is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-11:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-12:30am and Sunday 10am-11am.
Jeff,
Years ago when The Cheesecake Factory first started in California it was absolutely fabulous. Now it’s a big public company and it rightfully deserves its name FACTORY.
In Boca Raton, those cheesecakes which were once fresh baked are nothing more than frozen cakes that are brought in and defrosted.
The restaurant is seemingly always busy, which apparently doesn’t give the staff the proper time to adequately clean the restaurant. The floors are dirty and sticky.
In their rush to cram people in, tables, seats and silverware are not properly cleaned. The waiters and waitresses are always rushing and aren’t the best shall we say in the industry.
In their rush to get as many people in and out, the food is often undercooked, or incorrectly prepared.
The management team in this particular location stinks. They are unresponsive to complaints and really don’t have any idea as to what customer satisfaction is all about.
My husband and I use to be pretty steady Boca customers but no more. We work far too hard for our money to waste it in a mediocre restaurant who could care less if we come back again.
I just love it when a waiter tells you that the reason why your food is late getting to the table or didn’t come out just right, “The kitchen got slammed.”
Like you say, WHY IS THE RESTAURANT’S PROBLEM MY PROBLEM?
Sooooo disappointing! Our group of six stopped in for late night coffee and cake, but left very sorry we did. First the table was set with some noticeably unclean dishes and the banquette had salad tucked between the cushion and the wall. UGH!!!
Then the iced and regular decafs were made with undrinkable overly strong, burnt coffee. Even the replacement cappuccinos and soda were tasteless and worthless. Two pieces of cheesecake proved to be tasty, but the apple crisp had almost no “crisp”, only baked apple slices and ice cream in a syrup.
Our coffee and cake outing turned into a mediocre dessert and water evening. It took discussion with two managers to get any relief on the bill. We should not have had to ask – it should have been automatic for a manager to simply delete the check when so much has gone wrong and six people are visibly upset about their experience in your restaurant.
This place may be a big chain, but that doesn’t give them the right to take advantage and abuse customers – even ones who’ll never go back again.
I eat at the Sawgrass location quite frequently and haven’t had any issues.
I like the Cheesecake Factory. Some restaurants are not for everyone. If you don’t like it don’t go back.
Mike, who likes dirty silverware, dirty dishware and lousy service?
I guess you do.
Just wondering you get comped for stuff?
Cheesecake Factory use to be a great restaurant chain. As it grew in size its prices rose, its portions got smaller, it’s service weakened and the facilities weren’t as well kept as before. As a matter of fact, frozen cheesecakes replaced freshly baked ones.
Every so often I eat in Cheesecake Factory but the WOW FACTOR is long gone.
Have you heard back from Cheesecake about this?
Mal V:
The Cheesecake Factory through its Boca GM on 1/3/16 advised that it is going to reimburse Jeff Eats’ party of 6 (via a $50 gift card)) for money spent and is also sending Jeff Eats’ an additional $50 gift card for our party to use at a future date.
I’ll let you guys know if and when those gift cards are received.
This afternoon via UPS 2- $50 The Cheesecake Factory Gift Cards were delivered to Jeff Eats’ home in Boca Raton.
This chain use to be terrific. All I can tell you is that the Boca Raton location is bad news. Dirty floors, bathrooms, dirty booths, dirty silverware. The food is now mediocre at best and the staff is lacking in common service skills.
Ate in the Boca loc last night at around 10:30 pm. Pretty busy and the food and service were good. Big problem, the floors are dirty and sticky and the restaurant looks worn.
This is a chain in decline.
I use to love this joint, but dirty floors, crappy help and mediocre food chased me away.