Updated on March 2, 12:44 p.m.
The Cheesecake Factory, the restaurant that claims to have “something for everyone,” will open its first New York City location at Elmhurst’s Queens Center mall.
The restaurant is planned for a consolidated space once occupied by The Children’s Place and a Verizon Wireless store, according to Community Board 4 District Manager Christian Cassagnol.
A Cheesecake Factory representative from the establishment will appear before the board at the next CB 4 meeting on March 8 in Corona to reveal plans. Cassagnol estimated that the restaurant will have seats for 180 patrons inside and an additional 48 seats at an outdoor cafe, but a spokesperson for the restaurant could not confirm those numbers.
Alethea Rowe, senior director of public relations for The Cheesecake Factory, said the restaurant is anticipating a winter opening but did not give a specific month or date.
This will be the first New York City location for the cheesecake bakery-turned-restaurant. The closest Cheesecake Factory is located at Roosevelt Field Mall in Westbury, Long Island.
“We’re pleased that Cheesecake Factory is going to join us at queens center,” said John Scaturro, Senior Manager of Marketing at Queens Center mall. “They’re going to be able to provide a nice new dining alternative for our community.”
The restaurant’s origins date back to the 1940s when Evelyn and Oscar Overton opened a cheesecake shop in Detroit, Michigan. Though the shop eventually closed, the Overtons eventually moved to Los Angeles to open The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, where Evelyn Overton baked more than 20 varieties of cheesecakes and other desserts.
In 1978, the couple opened the first Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills, California, and it now boasts nearly 200 locations nationwide.
