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The Cheesecake Factory

Engaged Employer

The Cheesecake Factory reviews

3.7

65% would recommend to a friend

(6,358 total reviews)
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David Overton

73% approve of CEO

61% positive business outlook

The Cheesecake Factory has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 6,358 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The The Cheesecake Factory employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.4 stars).

Reviews by job title

6K reviews
2.0
Sep 5, 2012

A love/hate relationship

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As with all serving jobs, flexible scheduling is always a plus. Also, there are food runners and, in some locations, people who take care of the cleaning and marrying of ketchups, for example--all of which reduce your responsibilities as a server, diminishing your side work etc. The shifts are relatively smooth, even on busy nights, which is nice. I've worked at other restaurants where you run out of everything when its busy and your life sucks. But Cheesecake runs pretty well. You have what you need for the most part. Also, its pretty easy to move between stores which is really convenient and helped me get through college.

Cons

Obviously the uniforms are horrible. Whoever thought of all white in a restaurant environment needs help. I understand them wanting to present as clean of an appearance to guests as possible, but come on! You learn to dodge stains and stay clean in a weird way, but some things just can't be avoided--like the dirtying of the bottom hem of your pants. However, the uniforms and ankle-length aprons are extremely uncomfortable...they retain the heat and sweat and it's gross. There is also little to NO employee appreciation with the exception of a holiday cheesecake. However, this cheesecake is sold by Costco so is not the same caliber the restaurant offers guests. Cheesecake Factory would NEVER even think about selling the cheesecake it gives to its employees in the store. Also, there are never any contests or challenges that make work fun. You can get the "power tie" which gives you free meals based upon customer satisfaction ratings, however, the menu from which you get to chose your meals is severely limited--mainly to appetizers and the less enjoyable/cheaper food items.

3.0
Apr 12, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The best part of working for CCF was all the knowledge I gained through smart practices. They really have their act together and know how to make and execute great food and operate on a large scale. They have organized and well written training for every position and constant corporate support that manages everything. Direct management in store is great and a real team environment. Corporate management not so great.

Cons

You are only a # in a sea of other amazing managers and it is difficult to shine. There's no room for ideas and everything is decided for you already. 55-60 hours a week guaranteed unless you're the GM. Shifts are high stress from start to finish. Advancing your career requires jumping through hoops of fire to impress the right people; and somehow finding the time and mental capacity to add studying and test taking to your daily routine. Schmoozing and overachieving is also required, and "I'm so sorry" or "Absolutely!" will become your most common vocabulary.

1.0
Dec 14, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You get to eat free food in the training. If you are a seasoned server, there is great earning potential with the "turn and burn" method. It is almost always busy.

Cons

Guests are mostly tourists and tip less than 10%, they are also rude. Management makes you feel horrible about making small mistakes. Management likes to disappear into the office at the end of a shift. The service staff doesn't work as a team. Bussers ignore stations when servers don't give them extra tips. Kitchen will presell 80% of the tickets making food runners and servers wait for the food. The glassware, plates and silverware are excessively dirty all of the time. The floors are very slippery even with sfc. The management doesn't intervene when employees are being rude to eachother. They do not allow you to take even a 15 minute break when working a double shift. Praise is only given to good shop reports and kitchen employees. The management plays favorites and the employees are afraid to speak up in fear of losing their jobs.

Viewing 46 - 48 of 6,358 Reviews

Glassdoor has 6,507 The Cheesecake Factory reviews submitted anonymously by The Cheesecake Factory employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if The Cheesecake Factory is right for you.