The Cheesecake Factory

I can not say bad enough words to describe our experience at this establishment. It may have been because it was Valentines Day, and it was busy, and we waited over two and 1/2 hours for a table after being told it would be one hour (arrived at 1:p.m. and we were seated after 3:30 p.m.)..... but whatever the reason or whatever excuses they might have, my food was awful. When it arrived, it was cold, so they took it back to re-heat it. When it was returned to me, it was hot, and also very dried out, tough and chewy. I had the chicken enchiladas with "vegetable salad", which was basically some raw cauliflower and some green stuff chopped up and dumped in a bowl and was pretty much inedible. All they would have had to do was to put some fresh sauce on the enchiladas and that would have helped greatly. And how about a little more variety in the "vegetable" salad? Very poorly done.

And I get that dessert is usually a pricey item, but $8 for a VERY small slice of cheesecake? It was barely 2 inches wide. I saw slices go by that were much larger than what we were served. Was it because we ordered our desserts to go? That should not change the serving size if someone is paying the same price as dine in. We opened them in the restaurant to make sure we got the right ones and we should have asked for a refund immediately. I still don't know why we didn't.

I noticed more than one person sitting around us had also sent their food back, so this must be a problem in this location. Poor management? Bad cooks/chefs? No one cares? That is the impression that I go.

We also talked to some people waiting with us. They were seated before us, even though they had received their pagers after we did. That was a little upsetting also and made us wonder why the waiting time and seating order was not fairly done.

No manager in sight and not one person asked us how our food was, if our dining experience was satisfactory (I imagine they get too many complaints and were hiding in the back room). The best restaurants we eat in have a manager on the floor talking to every table and walking around in sight.

No refills on drinks. Cold and drafty enough that we had to wear our coats while eating. Over $90 for 3 people for mediocre food and very, VERY small portions of that. I will never eat there again neither will I ever recommend it to anyone else. There are many other establishments with better food for better prices and with MUCH better service. I will be telling everyone I know to STAY AWAY from this one! After waiting for several months to try it and hearing such good reports from relatives and friends who have eaten at them in Texas, Colorado and Indiana, we were extremely disappointed and quite frankly it really put a damper on our Valentines Day celebration.

I waited a day to write this, thinking that maybe the experience wouldn't seem so bad after sleeping on it, but it is only worse as I think of the waste of time and money that we will never get back.

Ok I understand metro-Detroit is not a haven for all the posh, fancy or renowned restaurants like other cities, i.e., Chicago, Las Vegas, NY, etc. But really, how much longer will we act as if this place is so awesome. The food is fair, but the customer service SUCKS! I think people like it because you get big servings of traditional unhealthy American cuisine at a decent price, but an hour plus wait for french fries, salads, egg rolls, and cheesecake!? Then when you're finally seated they, eventually, get back over with water and take your drink or appetizer order. Oh, they may remember to bring bread. Hello! I've waited damn near two hours to eat. Get with it! I've gone a few times since they've opened but I think I good for a while. It's truly overrated. And it's not a Detroit thing the same goes for the downtown Chicago one. But folks keep on coming! Unbelievable!