Trust Us And Avoid This Popular Cheesecake Factory Menu Item

A massive restaurant menu can signify that the business relies heavily on premade frozen food, but not the Cheesecake Factory. The chain proudly states on its website that the 250-plus items on its book-like menu are freshly made from scratch, which is pretty impressive. Still, with such a large assortment of offerings, there are bound to be a few dishes that don't stack up, and unfortunately, the eatery's fettuccine Alfredo is one of these. This classic pasta dish is even one of the entrees that Cheesecake Factory staff say to avoid.

The meal racks up more than 200,000 orders a month, but one employee of the chain told Mashed that many of those orders get sent back to the kitchen. "Our managers even tell us to 'tour guide' guests away from ordering it," they added, pinpointing a lack of flavor as part of the reason why. This blandness may be due to the Cheesecake Factory going heavy on the cream in its Alfredo recipe, which — to its credit — gives the sauce a delectably creamy texture. Still, this can drown out the "rich parmesan cheese" flavor the menu describes.

Some diners have also found that the Cheesecake Factory's fettuccine Alfredo errs on the watery side. Others have criticized the dish for featuring overcooked noodles, which may be the key to a perfect pasta salad, but they aren't ideal in Alfredo.

Despite being one of the Cheesecake Factory menu items to top over 100,000 orders a month (in fact, it doubles that number), reviews of the fettuccine Alfredo are all over the map. Several diners over the years have heaped praise on the dish, with one reviewer on Trip Advisor even going so far as to call it some of the best chicken Alfredo on the market. This seems to be in conflict with the criticism it receives for its lack of flavor.

One person on TikTok suggested the addition of blackened chicken or shrimp to combat its blandness, which certainly sounds like a tasty upgrade. Still, with a price tag ranging between $20 and $30 (depending on location and protein additions), you might not want to risk ordering this classic pasta dish when dining at the Cheesecake Factory.

Besides, you can make the dish at home for a fraction of the cost using our easy fettuccine Alfredo recipe, so why not opt for something that will really give you a bang for your buck? For example, both the Thai lettuce wraps and almond-crusted salmon salad fell within the top five in our ranking of popular Cheesecake Factory menu items.