Cheesecake Factory to open in WC February 19

The Cheesecake Factory opened the doors of its new Walnut Creek location briefly Sunday afternoon to give crowds of cheesecake lovers and other fans of its extensive, American classic casual menu a sneak peek at its new digs.

These digs are said to include the nationwide restaurant chain's "distinctive decor," which includes Egyptian columns, dark cherry wood furniture, and brass accents. The Cheesecake Factory initially started out in 1947 as a small cheesecake shop run by a housewife and mom named Evelyn Orton. But she had a tough time juggling the shop and small kids. Later, after her kids were grown, she and her husband, Oscar, moved to Los Angeles, where they started their cheesecake business. They were an instant success, and now have around150 restaurants, with Walnut Creek's being the newest.

Each restaurant features around 200 items on their menus, including more than two dozen kinds of cheesecake. Among the flavors: Godiva chocolate, Dulche Le Leche caramel, peanut butter, oreo, cherry, Key Lime, Snickers bar, and, yes, low-carb (As if! What's the point?) are among the flavors.

Walnut Creek city leaders are very excited about the arrival of Cheesecake Factory. After all, it fills a big empty storefront in a prominent location in a downtown that, in these tough economic times, is seeing more and more vacant storefronts. This warehouse-sized space in Plaza Escuela, across the street from the Century Walnut Creek 14 movie theater, has been empty for more than two years, since the upscale Andronico's grocery store closed.

Unfortunately, the future of two business right across the street are in question. Both upscale clothing boutique Elisa Wen and Palomas Home Furnishings have "for lease" signs posted in their windows. Both are offering sales of 30 to 50 percent off certain goods. An employee at Elisa Wen says the owner might want to close the Walnut Creek location and focus on her store in Danville, thought that is some time off. Meanwhile, an employee at Palomas said the owner wants to wait and see how sales go in January and February before making a decision.

Perhaps the arrival of the Cheesecake Factory will help lift the spirits of consumers and the earnings of neaby businesses. The crowds going to check out the restaurant seemed excited. One my co-workers is excited. She lives in the Tri-Valley and sometimes braves the long lines waiting to get in at the first East Bay suburban location in Pleasanton. She warned that long lines seem to be apart of the Cheesecake Factory experience. But she says it's worth it, and she's not even a fan of cheesecake--like me. (It is actually one of the few desserts that I don't have a hard time passing on.) My co-worker says she enjoys other things on the menu, including lunch and dinner items. She says she's never had a bad meal there.