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The Cheesecake Factory

Engaged employer

Flexible, good place to get experience - Server The Cheesecake Factory Employee Review

3.0
1 Dec 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The training is thorough, the food culture is higher than average quality. It's a great way to start a job as a career server, and they were always very flexible with scheduling.

Cons

Working in a tourist-heavy location, my tips were very inconsistent. That's a risk of working for tips in a restaurant, but the amount of work we do is not reflected adequately in the money we take home. By paying us credit card tips at the end of the night, servers owe a LOT extra in taxes at the end of the year because $2.63/hr wasn't enough to cover the taxes. The company does the absolute bare minimum required by the state to "take care" of its employees. We were basically forced to waive our break periods, bussers and foodrunners/backwaiters made the same hourly wage as servers.

Explore other reviews about The Cheesecake Factory

5.0
18 Dec 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you want to work at one of the world’s best run dining businesses, this is where it’s at. I work at the Union Square, San Francisco location, and although it is intense, it’s rewarding, financially, physically and spiritually IMO. It’s clear that decades of effort have gone into crafting the business. They run it lean, so it’s an effort to deliver an excellent experience. But that is part of its greatness - if you are at all interested in understanding how to run a business well. The managers and general manager are all well chosen, character-wise, which is refreshing in the hospitality trade where difficult personalities can often be a drag. It’s probably due to the extensive formal training, that creates a high degree of professionalism. Far above average for the industry.

Cons

It’s a struggle to get all the hours as a server you want. This is due to practical/economical considerations, since the restaurant needs a deep bench of staff, to guarantee staffing, and accommodate changes to schedules by employees- and as far as I can tell, it’s no different across the current restaurant industry in SF. Obviously the more tenure you have, the more trust and hours they give you. So expect to be assigned server and runner shifts, and ‘breaker’ shifts where you relieve other servers. But in all cases you still make tips. Though working as a server is best.

4.0
1 Jul 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good pay to works worked ratio

Cons

have to work all holidays best time to make money is night shifts so really limits social time with friends and family

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