Social distancing restrictions are beginning to lift in many parts of the country, meaning that restaurant dining rooms are opening as well. That includes those owned by Cheesecake Factory Inc., which has opened a quarter of its dining rooms as of June 2, Restaurant Business Online reports.
The company confirmed that these dining rooms will be opened with "with limited capacity in accordance with local mandates." The company owns several other restaurants in addition to The Cheesecake Factory, including North Italia and RockSugar Southeast Asian Kitchen. The restaurant group has 294 restaurant locations across the U.S. and according to a press release, 34 Cheesecake Factory restaurants specifically have already opened up dining rooms.
In addition, they said they hope to have 65 percent of their dining rooms that closed due to social distancing restrictions reopened by mid-June with limited dining capacity. This would include 124 Cheesecake Factory restaurants. This, as the press release noted, would be "subject to any closures due to further demonstrations and other factors related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."
It was a tough start for The Cheesecake Factory, like many restaurants, at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. The chain issued a letter to landlords in late March saying it would not be paying April rent. It also furloughed 41,000 hourly employees.
That said, the company seems optimistic about its future, saying the large size of its restaurants may make it easier to social distance while still allowing a good amount of people in its dining rooms. The company received a $200 million investment in June. Its stock recently jumped and, according to a press release, the restaurants that have re-opened are operating at about 75 percent of last year's levels.
