Cheesecake Factory Opens Monday at the Danbury Mall

In case you were wondering, The Cheesecake Factory serves more than 30 different types of cheesecake, and they change seasonally. The variety of cheesecakes is matched only by the lunch and dinner menus, which is twenty-one pages of over 200 items. Alethea Rowe, senior director of marketing, said the reason for such a diverse menu is that, “We cook what America wants to eat.”

In addition to the broad menu, the prices aren't any higher than most local restaurants. The wait staff seemed as excited about the opening as the guests taking the tour. James Orme moved here from Long Island to join the staff in Danbury. “The company has been very good to me,” he said. “It's a great place to work. It's busy all the time, and you can advance in the company.”

The menu features food from every continent. There is plenty of sushi-type foods, as well as a dozen different Glamburgers, pastas, and salads, steaks, ribs, and fish. “We also serve a lot of handcrafted cocktails and signature drinks,” said Rowe. “And we also have a line of “skinny” drinks including Skinny Margaritas, Mojitos, Long Island Ice Tea, Cosmopolitans and sangria.”

 This is only the second Cheesecake Factory in Connecticut, with the other in West Hartford. “We decided to open up in Danbury because this space was just perfect for us, and the east coast has been very good to us,” said Rowe. “We did so well in West Hartford, we felt there was a need.”

 There is always a need for good cheesecake.

 The name of the Cheesecake Factory originated with Oscar and Evelyn Overtons in Detroit. They owned a small cheesecake bakery in the 1940s but it was not until their son David went to law school in Los Angeles, that they joined him in 1972 and opened another bakery there, called The Cheesecake Factory. Evelyn had hoped to market her delicious variety of cheesecakes to local LA restaurants, but all seemed to feel only one type of cheesecake was necessary. Evelyn showered them with her ever expanding array of cheesecakes, all available at The Cheesecake Factory.

 Today, her belief lives on that there can never be too kinds of cheesecake. This year, The Cheesecake Factory will open seven restaurants. In total, they employ 32,000 people across the country. The economy seems to have done no damage to the growth of the restaurant.

 The European-inspired dining room, with a large hand painted mural and glass mosaics in the bar area, is a whopping 7,369 square foot with a 1,880 square foot patio, which will seat up to 254 guests.  In total, the restaurant has brought 261 new jobs to the Danbury area. 

 This week, in preparation of the August 29 Grand Opening, the restaurant invited 1,350 guests to come and sample the food and give the staff practice to get up to speed before the doors swing open to the public.

 The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated created the upscale casual dining segment in 1978 with the introduction of its namesake concept.  The Company operates 165 full-service, casual dining restaurants throughout the U.S., including 151 restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory® mark; 13 restaurants under the Grand Lux Cafe® mark; and one restaurant under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen® mark.  The Company also operates two bakery production facilities in Calabasas Hills, CA and Rocky Mount, NC that produce over 70 varieties of quality cheesecakes and other baked products.  For more information, please visit www.TheCheesecakeFactory.com.