Cheesecake Factory is a Family-Friendly Dining Experience

By Tiera Gibson, The Em Vee Hi Reporter

One Saturday afternoon, I was out shopping with my mother in Potomac Mills when I noticed a new opening of one of my favorite restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory. I knew I had to be there to experience the place again.

When I got inside I immediately saw people with white suits and long ties with large sums of food stacked on a tray. I looked around and saw tons more sitting around waiting to be seated. I heard the sound of buzzers going off left and right, and the noise of crowding people.

After dining there several times in Raleigh NC, the wait was pretty much expected. My mother and I sat around and waited for about 45 minutes and the buzzer rang.

We sat at a dinner booth and our waiter was very polite and personable. The restaurant lives up to its name. I don’t think I’ve ever once complained about the restaurant’s service and after eating at Potomac Mills, I was very pleased.  

The easiest thing to order is always the drink. I like to order the strawberry lemonade, made with real strawberries. If the South was famous for lemonade instead of sweet tea, I’m pretty sure this would be their signature drink.

The hardest part at a restaurant is trying to make a decision about what to order.  The menu is huge and full of a variety of great foods such as pizzas, pastas, sea foods, sandwiches, steaks and meats. The waiter was very helpful because he had pretty good knowledge of the menu and gave me a few tips on some of their most popular dishes.

As a fan of The Cheesecake Factory, I’ve become accustomed to ordering the basil angel hair pasta with shrimp, but trying different foods there never hurts.

This time I tried the Chicken Bellagio, one of their specialty dishes. It was a crispy chicken breast covered over basil pasta and parmesan sauce. I was quite impressed in the dish and am eager to try more of their foods. The food there has never failed to disappoint me.

The lunch special is a lighter portion compared to their dinner. The amount of food they give at night is way more than enough and I always take home a to-go plate.

I make sure that I save enough room for the cheesecake. For dessert, I like to order the original strawberry cheesecake. There are tons of choices and they’re all pretty delicious, but none of them seem to compare to the original.

When visiting the restaurant I would recommend going on a weekday because on weekends the waits can get pretty long. The overall atmosphere there is really nice, although it can be packed with people. I’d recommend sitting at booths rather than tables, because the tables are cramped.

The service is excellent and the waiters are sure to give you have a pleasurable dining experience. If you are looking for a nice, upscale restaurant this is the place. It definitely fits a family environment.

Editor's Note: These articles are written by Mount Vernon High School student reporters for The Em Vee Hi, the school newspaper. These articles are running on Mount Vernon Patch as part of a partnership between Mount Vernon Patch and the journalism class at MVHS.