SEATTLE, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
A restaurant known for its warm brown bread, overflowing pasta, and gigantic slices of cheesecake is closing its downtown Seattle location after more than two decades.
The Cheesecake Factory on 700 Pike Street will close on May 4, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ). The restaurant, which opened in 2001, is next to the Seattle Convention Center.
“After extensive review and analysis, the company made the difficult decision to discontinue operation of our restaurant in downtown Seattle,” said spokesperson Alethea Rowe told PSBJ. “We have truly enjoyed being a part of the downtown Seattle community over the last 23 years and hope to continue to serve all our Seattle guests at our nearby restaurant locations.”
The closing marks another setback for downtown revitalization. The city is still recovering from the pandemic.
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Downtown Seattle has lost several national brands
Downtown has been hit with the departures of Nike, Lululemon, The North Face, and Carhartt in recent months. However, it has also seen the recommitment of Ben Bridge’s flagship store and the opening of the new aquarium and waterfront park.
Cheesecake Factory Inc., based in California, operates 215 restaurants across North America. Last month, the company reported quarterly revenue of $921 million, up from $877 million in the same period last year.
On its website, the Cheesecake Factory described its beginnings:
“In the 1940s, Evelyn Overton found a recipe in her local Detroit newspaper that inspired her “Original” cheesecake. Everyone loved her recipe so much she decided to open a small bakery, but eventually gave it up to focus on raising her children, David and Renee. She moved her baking equipment to her basement kitchen and continued to sell cakes to some of the best restaurants in town.”
“Our fourth quarter performance capped off an excellent year, with solid revenue and earnings contributing to record annual revenue and substantially improved profitability for 2024,” CEO David Overton said in a news release.
The company’s stock is up 31% from a year ago.
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Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest
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