Cheesecake Factory Is A Dim Bulb

Posted Mon March 19, 2007 12:00 pm, by Leslie S. written to The Cheesecake Factory

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I recently visited the Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Lincolnshire, IL for dinner with my family. We got there around 6:30pm, and by 7:30pm, we were seated and just being served our food. At this time, all the lights in the restaurant dimmed noticeably. We asked the waitress about this, and she stated that it was a timer set by corporate, and that the employees at the restaurant cannot turn the lights back up.

I understand the desire for mood lighting, but given that at 7:30pm, it is already quite dark outside, it made it nearly impossible to see our food. It makes for a rather less than wonderful experience when I can barely see my plate and have to use my cell phone as a flashlight to read my bill.

Other than the lighting, we had a very enjoyable meal. The food and drinks were great, and our server, Kate, was very nice and attentive. I would definitely eat there again, I'd just be more inclined to do so earlier in the day!

I would suggest that the individuals in corporate who control the lighting rethink this policy, and find a way to make the lighting change less drastic, or to give the employees the power to up the lights a bit if it is particularly dark outside.

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Re: Cheesecake Factory Is A Dim Bulb by Gino Posted Mon March 19, 2007 @ 11:18 PM Although I can see your point, I'm glad the rest of the dining experience went well. I suspect someone in corporate was asleep at the wheel. I had similar things happen when I worked for one... they even controlled the thermostat remotely in an effort to save money. We'd have to make several calls to get it adjusted to our climate since they were headquartered in Texas. I have a suspicious feeling it has to do with the recent early daylight saving's time adjustment and someone in corporate just didn't realize it and set the clocks on the timers. Stranger things have happened! Good Letter, great to let them know, but maybe send a copy mentioning the time change thing to the manager too. Somethings just take a few phone calls to fix. Reply Gino's probably right by AuPair Courtney ! Tue March 20, 2007 @ 9:33 AM Double take here... by Chris M Posted Mon March 19, 2007 @ 9:37 PM First take - I agree with silly things like corporate set timers, etc. I have heard of other companies doing this with other items other than lights. (Temperature control, etc) Second take - mood lighting is normal, for what it's worth. Unless they turn off the lights, usually it looks odd for a few minutes when they first do it and then your eyes adjust and you barely notice anymore. At least that has been my experience everywhere. Maybe here they turned it down to near pitch black inside? Reply