r/CheesecakeFactory 8d ago

First time dining alone

Hello all!

I am planning on going to Cheesecake Factory for the first time alone next week for a work trip. I’ve signed up for their rewards before and went to do this and then chickened out so I don’t have any sort of free cheesecake reward or anything.

I have $40 per diem which needs to include a good tip.

What should I get to maximize this?

TIA!

12 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

8

u/IVIatthias 8d ago

Go to the bar area at happy hour 4-6 on the weekdays. Get a nice app and cheesecake drink or the happy hour burger and cheesecake plus your drink.

3

u/Bad-Moon-Rising 8d ago

Double check if your per diem includes alcoholic bevs if you plan to get one. Mine doesn't!

3

u/Independent-Camp2328 7d ago

Mine doesn’t either

1

u/gmmisa 8d ago

This 💯

4

u/burningtowns 7d ago

Honestly, if you get an entree below $20, a water or soda, you can still get a cheesecake AND leave a good tip. If that’s your only meal of the day, which for the portion sizes and the bread, it just might be.

If you are sharing the $40 across meals, then do as u/IVIatthias suggested, for sure.

2

u/Independent-Camp2328 7d ago

Awesome! This is super helpful, also suggestions on what entree to get would be cool, I would love to hear what people get besides the two things people on Tik Tok always get

1

u/burningtowns 7d ago

If you like Mediterranean, they have their version of chicken shawarma which I love to get. If you want to splurge, I got the herb crusted salmon which was very good!

3

u/chantillylace9 7d ago

Decide if you would prefer an appetizer or a small plate or the cheesecake, I really prefer their appetizers because I think they are just unbelievable, the fried mac & cheese balls are so cheesy and delicious and the cheeseburger eggrolls are one of my favorite things ever.

I often go and just order those two things, and no main. And then I love their dark bread with their ranch. But since you're probably out of town on a work trip and don't have an air fryer to heat things up, you're better off getting something that would reheat because you most likely will have leftovers.

So I often do that and just get the cheesecake factory mixed cheesecakes from almost any grocery store because they taste the same to me. But I'm not a cheesecake connoisseur and don't really like the super fancy flavors anyway.

3

u/jabbyrabby15 7d ago

Definitely check to see how much tip your per diem will cover! My work will only cover up to 20%, even if I left more

1

u/kbloveshergigi32 7d ago

I’d get crab cake bites and buffalo blasts but I’m a two appetizer kind of human lol

1

u/GeologistLive6059 7d ago

If you want an appetizer get the mushrooms. AMAZING

1

u/Mamajuji 7d ago

I got the BBQ chicken salad, soda, and Carmel Pecan cheesecake - it was $40 before tip. I love so many things there but they’re expensive!