Cheesecake Factory holds a ribbon-cutting at its new Colonie Center location

By ALAN WECHSLER Business writer

Friday, August 25, 2006

COLONIE -- One thing you can say about The Cheesecake Factory Inc. is that it doesn't do things in small ways.

The restaurant chain's signature cakes, for instance, are about as tall as an SUV tire lying on its side (although, presumably, much tastier).

Interiors look more like a banquet hall than a mall restaurant, with 18-foot ceilings, soft lighting, Southern California color schemes, and ornate fixtures and mirrors.

Even on the outside, the restaurant is unique among chain stores.

At Colonie Center, the matte yellow exterior wall climbs to the roof of the two-story mall. The front glass doorway is nearly as tall, and is surrounded by a huge, embellished entrance that would seem at home in Disney World.

Officials say the arrival of the restaurant at Colonie Center will change the mall forever, making it a regional destination and drawing more visitors and more tax dollars.

At the very least, it's certainly hard to ignore.

More than 50 people attended a Thursday morning ribbon-cutting at the site of one of the region's most awaited (or, perhaps, most hyped) restaurants. Even more came just to eat, as the restaurant offered free dining to people who reserved ahead of time.

The event also drew Larry Feldman, chief executive officer of Feldman Mall Properties Inc., the Phoenix, Ariz.-based owner of the mall, and several high-ranking Cheesecake Factory officials.

This is one of 21 restaurants the company opened or will open in 2006, out of hundreds of siting invitations, said Peter D'Amelio, president and chief operating officer of the Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based company. A Cheesecake restaurant will open in Buffalo later this year; other New York restaurants are downstate in West Nyack, White Plains and Westbury.

"You want to make sure you're picking the best location possible," D'Amelio said. "We choose communities that will really support us."

He said the company knew of the region because its vice president of Northeast operations, Mike Moore, was from Menands.

The 300-plus-seat restaurant in Colonie will employ 200 and serve an expected 750,000 customers a year, according to the company. An average Cheesecake restaurant -- there are 113 around the nation -- rings up about $11 million in sales annually.

Howard Gordon, Cheesecake's senior vice president, said Feldman Mall Properties sweetened the deal in Colonie by helping to pay the cost of constructing the restaurant and giving other incentives.

Larry Feldman said the mall would quickly benefit from Cheesecake's presence.

"We expect many people will drive considerable distances to be here," he said.

The restaurant is the first of several high-profile tenants to move into Colonie Center. Following Cheesecake will be P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Barnes & Noble and a new 14-screen movie theater, all to open next year. An L.L. Bean store -- the first in New York -- will follow in 2008.

Feldman Mall Properties bought the mall in February 2005 with a plan of raising its profile with new tenants. Since then, it has announced a refurbishment plan that could reach $70 million.

Thursday's free lunch was a dry run for a fund-raising event on Saturday. The restaurant will officially open Tuesday, offering dinners only; lunch will be added next Thursday.

At the restaurant Thursday, at least one diner said this wouldn't be her only meal there.

"I'll be back, definitely," promised Kim Taylor, a Queensbury resident who works in Albany.