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The Cheesecake Factory

Engaged Employer

The Cheesecake Factory reviews

3.7

64% would recommend to a friend

(6,358 total reviews)
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David Overton

72% 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
1.0
Jan 19, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They are an industry leader and have revolutionized the casual upscale sector. The attention to detail operations-wise is truly phenomenal. The corporate facilities are beautiful and there are nice perks like fountain soda machines for the employees that make the building a nice place to work. They also provide a dining credit in the restaurants, which is a nice perk, and the health benefits are quite generous. Moreover, the company makes efforts to create a team atmosphere with planned activities such as company picnics, holiday parties, etc., that are rare nowdays and a nice touch. The overall atmosphere encourages one to exceed expectations, so largely, everyone you encounter is efficient and productive.

Cons

The efficiency and productivity comes at the price of zero work-life balance and absolutely no recognition of the needs of family and health. The company views corporate and a tool to run the restaurants, which is reasonable, but no corporate office is going to keep restaurant hours, and it is ridiculous and counter-productive to try. Those beautiful corporate offices also require a sacrifice of any individuality- no one is allowed to hang anything on the walls in any office (not even the senior executives.) All the doors to offices are glass so you truly never have privacy. The CEO walks the halls to ensure that no one has any unauthorized calendars, wall hangings, even a desk mat that does not match is forbidden. No drinks are allowed without a lid. No microwaves are allowed upstairs (where a majority of offices are) at any time. There is no cafeteria that provides food, but the rules for handling food you bring from home are strict so as to avoid any food smells the CEO may find unpleasant. Also, actually taking a lunch is frowned upon, most people eat at their desk while working. A lunch hour is considered frivolous.

3.0
Jan 9, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cheesecake factory is always busy. It is not uncommon for thier to be a three hour wait on a weekend night. most servers get four table sections. the times are mostly good and it is easy to increase check averages through the sales of cheesecake and dessert. The managers mostly leave you alone and you are allowed to do your job. There is alot of support staff including bussers, food runners, host and bar tenders so the job is about as easy as it can be. They are very flexible with scheduling as you are able to get almost any day off and utilize hotschedules, an online scheduling product.

Cons

Management is always looking to find you doing something wrong. the management relies too heavily on mystery shoppers and surveys over their own management abilities. It can be hard to get enough shifts to pay your bills. The tip out is a little high at 4.1% of sales. Side work always takes for ever to get checked out and they tend to be too slow to cut the floor when it is not busy. The restaurant is very seniority driven. the best shifts and sections and given to the people who have been there the longest regardless of skill and there is a significant difference in the quality of sections.

1.0
Dec 26, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You get to meet a lot of different kinds of people, and help people have an enjoyable experience. This applies to the clientele as well as the staff. Also the food there is really good.

Cons

The management is horribly inept and entirely profit driven, the staff is treated as expendable resources, and the hours are long and the work is hard. In addition, it is very hard to get enough hours for insurance, and if you do happen to be lucky enough to shark shifts for insurance, you can only sign up for 2 weeks out of the year. If you miss it, say because you're a few hours short, you have to wait til next year. Also there is little to no opportunity for advancement. Roughly 80% of the staff had college education of some sort, ranging from short certificates to masters degrees. It's a pity they don't reach into the staff of people to get some of the servers into higher management since the servers actually interact with the customer base.

Viewing 6352 - 6354 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.