Cheesecake Factory

I went to the Cheesecake Factory because it is well known in my hometown for having good food and great cheesecake. This time around in Pasadena, it wasn't great at all.

First off, I called to make a reservation since it was a Saturday night and I figured it was busy. I was told they don't take reservations or call ahead but that the wait for 2 people would be 10-15 min. By the time we got there, they quoted us 10-20 min wait time, which was understandable. 45 min later...we were finally seated. And only after returning to the hostess to ASK to be seated. I mentioned to the man seating us that she shouldn't be quoting 10-20 min wait time if it ended up being more than double that. He said there was a party of 20 that came right before us, which is fine but then why didn't the hostess call us back and let us know that?

After we were seated, a temporary waitress brought us drinks and bread. When our regular waiter came back, he didn't bother to introduce himself, just asked what we wanted.

I ordered Chicken Madeira, their signature dish, and in the center of my mashed potatoes was one large half of a potato with rotted black stuff in the center of it. Ew!

I politely asked for the waiter to do something about this, and the waiter didn't even take my plate away. He just said okay, walked away and came back with a new side dish of mashed potatoes. A manager came and she removed my plate and offered to remake my dinner. I told her just go ahead and make it "to go" since I had already lost my appetite. My guest and I had some yummy cheesecake to make up for this disaster of a meal.

The manager comped me my 1st and 2nd entrees which I thought was nice, although it still was a bumpy ride eating there.

The next day, I opened the "new" entree she sent me home with and what did I find? 4 black beans (how did those get in there?), two more rotted chunks of potato and a chicken bone in the mashed potatoes. Ew! Ew! Needless to say, I didn't eat this entree either!

Seriously, I am considering calling the Health Dept over this. Some disgruntled cook is back there dumping trash and droppings into the mashed potatoes! Gross!!

I appreciated the manager trying to help, but she should have checked the to-go order to make sure it was perfect. I will not be eating at this establishment again. I'll get better food from a dumpster dive!

Posted 06/08/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I love the FOODS there.. but especially services makes 10 times better... I have not try everything from the menu yet.. but that's my goal!! .. haha .. perfect place for a date...

Posted 06/26/07 | Report Abuse

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Not great, but not bad. The service was good. The food was alright. There is always a crowd waiting to get into this restaurant, but when I ate there I didn't understand what was so great about it. It was OK.

Posted 02/18/07 | Report Abuse

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great service, decent food, only bad thing is the wait, but when you do get in it is worth it!!!
all entrees are good quality food. Cannot go wrong,
cheesecake, thai noodles, chinese chicken salad are my favourite

PROS: good food
CONS: waitng in line

Posted 08/30/06 | Report Abuse

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Located at the old town pasadena, the Cheese Cake Factory, I have to say, is a really excellent restaurant. I was attracted when I first had supper there. Not only the cheesecakes with it famouses for are amazing, but even the bread before supper tastes very good. What is more, the waiters there are so sweet and always smile. I had a very good time there, and strongly recommended others to have a try.

Posted 02/25/06 | Report Abuse

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This is a great place to go and enjoy a nice bite to eat! They have a huge variety of different foods that anyone can enjoy. Anything from salads to delicious cheesecakes, The Cheesecake Factory has it all.

Posted 06/18/05 | Report Abuse

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The Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena is amazingly popular. It may take literally 2-3 hours to get a table, and they don't take reservations by phone. But the food is very good, and the portions are huge. It's expensive but not ridiculously expensive. Good desserts too, if you can save room.

Posted 06/17/05 | Report Abuse

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I'm prejudiced against chain restaurants, I'll admit it. With all the great small restaurants in Pasadena, I felt like the person who goes to Paris and eats McDonalds when my husband insisted we go to the Cheesecake Factory. Oh my goodness. The food was so good - honestly some of the best salmon I've ever had. The tiramisu cheesecake is creamy and rich, but not sickly sweet. Only a ten minute wait for a party of 2 at 5pm on a Sunday. Very nice server.

Posted 06/12/05 | Report Abuse

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Dinner at the Cheesecake factory was OK. My meal was the salmon - very tasty! My husband's dinner, was a chicken brochette - not so good. But the LeLeche Carmel cheesecake was the best! Busy for a Monday night - but we were very pleased with the service. I would still recommend this restaurant as they have a huge variety to choose from. And of couse - who can say anything bad about their cheesecake.

Posted 05/05/05 | Report Abuse

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Be prepared to stand in one-mile line on Saturdays nights, but it is worth the wait. Good food at affordable prices. the only thing that I didn't like is that I noticed the Tiffany's style lamps on the wall had spiderwebs all over. Good drinks.

Posted 04/15/05 | Report Abuse

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Ok, people, WHAT is the big deal? It's a Cheesecake Factory - a chain restaurant!! But there is always a HUGE line to get into this place. I just don't understand this phenominon.

The food is pretty good, but it's pretty standard stuff. The portions are fairly large. Their cheesecake is excellent and they have a million varieties, so there is something for everyone.

I mean, I think this restaurant is ok, but I just don't understand why it's one of the most popular restaurants in Pasadena.

PROS: decent food, great cheesecake
CONS: HUGE LINE

Posted 04/15/05 | Report Abuse

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The Cheesecake Factory is in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. The food is really good but there is almost always a wait. The service is pretty good but when they get busy, it's hard to track your waiter down. Of course the cheesecake is great and I see people in there that come all the way from downtown! Lots of my friends are always wanting to go there. Prices can be high if you're a cheapskate, but sometimes the food and the variety are worth it. Just be prepared to wait awhile to get it!

Posted 04/08/05 | Report Abuse

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Yum! My absolute favorite restaurant! Great atmosphere, the food is awesome! And my oh my, I can't get enough of that cheesecake!!! Go, right now.

If you can sit in the front at one of the little two people tables and look out onto Colorado, it definitely adds to the charm of the environment. My friends tend to rave over the chocolate martinis.

PROS:
CONS: Always a long wait

Posted 02/23/05 | Report Abuse

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Although this is a restaurant I usually take friends to that are visiting from Europe, I never go there with locals. The service is really bad, they don't try to accommodate even when they make mistakes. Once my friend had a large piece of paper in her salad when she complaint she had to wait another 20 minutes for a new salad and in the end she had to pay for it! Not even a free drink to make up for the disgusting incident! Well, Europeans seem fascinated...

Posted 02/23/05 | Report Abuse

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I applaud the Cheesecake Factory for absorbing all the people who would have otherwise eaten at decent restaurants. Because of this, dining well in Pasadena isn't that tough. I never understood what the fascination is with CF. The line practically wraps around the building at almost all hours. The food is either too spicy, or not enough - never quite right. Portions are large but overpriced. Service is terrible.

PROS: The decor is fun.
CONS: The wait; the service.

Posted 02/23/05 | Report Abuse

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Although there is always a wait to be seated, the food is worth the wait. My biggest challenge is always deciding what to order because ther is so much to choose from. My favorite appetizer hands down, is the avocado egg rolls. The Goiva Chocolate cheesecake is the most decadent dessert I have ever had. Cheesecake Factory is always a top dining choice.

Posted 10/27/04 | Report Abuse

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The large menu is perfect for the frequent visitor. Great variety, good service and friendly staff. This place is always the same and consistantly good.

Posted 10/01/04 | Report Abuse

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Just simply excellent

Posted 08/25/04 | Report Abuse

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