Jenna S.
Yelp
To preface, I rarely write reviews and am usually understanding, but this was, without question, the worst experience I have ever had, and the Naperville Cheesecake Factory should be ashamed to have its name on this location. From the start, it was a disaster. It took thirty minutes to get water (we had disabled people in our party, so it was important that we received timely service), and our server vanished for more than two hours with no explanation and no updates. Then came the real nightmare: a member of our party has a serious dairy allergy and clearly ordered a burger without cheese -- but what arrived? A cheeseburger. This isn't just sloppy, it's dangerous. By the time the mistake was "fixed" -- after another twenty-five minutes -- the rest of us were completely finished eating.
The way management handled this was beyond unprofessional. Instead of apologizing, the female manager actually yelled at and mocked the concerned mother who was understandably upset about her son's allergy being ignored. She literally laughed in her face. Meanwhile, the original manager, Adam, did the unthinkable -- he fled the restaurant altogether and dumped the situation onto an inexperienced assistant manager. His brilliant solution? Call the police on an eighty-five-year-old disabled man who had calmly asked for accountability after hours of terrible service. Yes, you read that right. The police were called on an elderly man because this restaurant couldn't own up to its failures. When the officers arrived, they laughed and admitted this wasn't even the first time they'd been called here, which tells you everything you need to know about how this place is run.
As if that weren't insulting enough, after sitting there for more than three hours, we were charged dinner prices even though we had ordered from the lunch specials. When questioned, the assistant manager shrugged it off, blamed other people, and claimed he had just walked in ten minutes ago, so there was "nothing he could do."
This wasn't just bad service -- it was chaotic, unsafe, and downright hostile. Food allergies were ignored, guests were mocked, managers ran away from responsibility, and the police were weaponized against an elderly, disabled customer. The Naperville Cheesecake Factory is not just mismanaged; it's a liability. Save yourself the time, money, and frustration -- this place is a disgrace to the Cheesecake Factory brand.
This is a picture of the assistant manager because he would not tell us his name.