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The Cheesecake Factory

Engaged employer

Great - Server The Cheesecake Factory Employee Review

5.0
11 May 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great schedule flexibility and money compared to other restaurants around the city. The place is huge so you can usually get in our out of shifts if you need to, and it stays busy enough that you can make good consistent money (for serving tables).

Cons

The Cheesecake Factory unfortunately attracts some extremely undesirable clientele, especially on the weekends. You can see some really really low tip percentages, but usually those shifts come with really high sales, so at the end of the night you still make a good amount of money, but it can be really brutal at times. It's not a place where you do $500 in sales and have a 25% tip percentage, more like $1800 in sales with a 12% tip percentage. Also, the tip out is a total of 4.5% of your sales, which is a bit higher than most places, however in that restaurant you really rely on the help of the rest of your team.

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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