The Cheesecake Factory opening in Memphis is just less than a week and some are lucky enough to see what's going on inside the store. Invitation only guests were given a chance to preview the restaurant. Managers have been busy training the more than 300 new staff member this Thursday and Friday in preparation for its grand opening.
"We have some invited guests to help us rehearse for the grand opening because we want to make sure that we are ready to deliver a phenomenal guest experience on Tuesday," said Alethea Row, Senior Director of Public Relations for the Cheesecake Factory.
Memphis Journal, one of the selected few who were invited, has exclusive photos inside the Cheesecake Factory in Memphis. Located in Wolfchase Galleria at 2760 N. Germantown Parkway, adjacent to Macy's, the restaurant will be open to the public on September 1.
"We've actually been wanting to come to Memphis for quite some time and really took our time to find the right location with everything we needed from parking to size of the space," said Rowe. "It's overdue, and we are thrilled to finally be here."
Speculations surrounding its expansion in Memphis started around January of this year. Those rumors were validated when the company secured its firs building permit valued at $4.18 million last March. The restaurant was known for its extensive menu across the country. But the talk of bringing a Cheesecake Factory to Memphis has always been a hot topic. Early this year, Mayor AC Wharton announced that the restaurant chose Memphis as a new location. .
"I think it's gonna bring a lot of unity and opportunity to this city as a whole and kind of change the outlook of Memphis, TN and this mall in particular and I think we're gonna do a lot of great things here," said Walls.
The restaurant can seat and accommodate a total of 270 customers. Aside from the main dining space, the restaurant also has an interior and exterior patio. When Cheesecake Factory opened its doors for applicants, more than 12,000 people submitted applications and showed interest to work in the restaurant. Finally, the restaurant has hired 300 people to operate the area.
"For us, what's so wonderful about that, not just that there were 12,000 people that wanted to work in The Cheesecake Factory, but that we really were able to choose the best of the best," Rowe said.
The first Cheesecake Factory opened in 1978. There are an estimated 179 Cheesecake Factory around the world. Each location earns an average for $10 million a year in sales.
