Upon arrival, I informed the hostess that we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary. I picked out a cheesecake and the hostess said that they would decorate the plate and send it out with a candle at the end of our meal. She said she would pass the message along to the server. I saw her write everything down.
The server was friendly and greeted us in a timely manner. He went over the soup of the day as well as daily specials. We ordered the Eggroll sampler, all the egg rolls were greasy and dripping with oil. The chicken madeira was excellent as usual. And the herb crusted salmon was okay.
When we were full, the server was kind enough to pack our food for us, but he failed to crumb the table and left our dirty silverware and small plates in the middle of the table. I even moved everything to the middle of the table so it would be easy for him to pick up because I knew he would be bringing our cheesecake out and I wanted to take photos. At the end of lunch, the server handed us dessert menus, I gave him the eye. He said 'I got it'... and brought a cheap birthday sundae with pure whip cream. He put it right in the middle of all the dirty dishes. That really ruined it for me. The Cheesecake Factory is my FAVORITE RESTAURANT.. or should I say WAS. To be honest, the service 15 years ago was significantly better than the service I've received within these past few years.. especially at the Summerlin location. How can you drop dessert on a table with dirty plates and food crumbs everywhere?? I'd like to add that it was not even busy. And where was the cheesecake I preordered that the hostess said they were going to decorate for our special occasion?
I have over 20 years of restaurant/hospitality experience, so yes! I am a restaurant/service snob! So maybe my service expectations are too high.. but I wouldn't expect anything else from the Cheesecake Factory. I am truly disappointed in my recent experiences with your establishment. A few years ago a server refilled my water with another water cup saying she couldn't find any water pitchers anywhere... only at the Summerlin location I get this kind of service!