Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory, a national chain that plans to add 13 restaurants by the end of 1997, is negotiating to set up itsfirst Baltimore operation in the Pratt Street pavilion of Harborplace.Representatives of Rouse Co., which owns Harborplace, cautioned that no lease has been signed.But the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City last week approved a request from the California-based restaurateur to take over the license for the space occupied until recently by the Nickel City Grill, a restaurant that closed last month.

Hallie Day, a 24-year-old waitress at the the Cheesecake Factory in Towson, made it into the semi-finals on "American Idol" and will compete in a live telecast Wednesday. Day, who lives in Nottingham, says she hasn't sung much professionally, and her appearance Wednesday  will be her first with an audience that size. "I performed with the Jazz Caravan, a jazz band, one time," she said. "And then, I led worship at Second Presbyterian Church in Towson. Other than that, I haven't really performed a lot. So, a lot of this is very new to me. " Day, who says her favorite genre is "soul" music, says she started singing in church at age 5. "I loved the little solos that I would get, and I think that's maybe when the diva started to come out," she said with a laugh.

A slice of Cheesecake is on its way to The Mall in Columbia. The Howard County Planning Board this week approved site development plans for the Cheesecake Factory, a California-based restaurant chain that could become a trendy draw for Columbia's downtown. "This is good news," said County Councilman Ken Ulman, a west Columbia Democrat. "When I hear people mention the types of retailers ignoring Columbia, they mention Cheesecake Factory." Construction plans for the 10,500-square-foot Cheesecake Factory have not been made final, said Karen Geary, manager of the mall.

The meathead and floozy fest that is "Jersey Shore" returns for a second season this week. For those who somehow missed the pop culture sensation that is the show, it's essentially the peek that you didn't really want into the buzzed and vapid lives of young people on a mission to de-flower most of the Garden State. There's more nocturnal wildlife in one episode than an entire season of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," insane levels of tanning, enough hairspray to knock a new hole in the ozone and, perhaps most notable, a six-pack on one guy that's so serious he's named it. In anticipation of even more of all of this, we can't help but wonder why Jersey gets these bragging rights.

Just as the restaurant industry is growing at its slowest pace in a decade and rivals are scaling back expansion plans, Cheesecake Factory Inc. has plans to grow more aggressively than ever. The Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based chain's strategy of serving huge portions, offering variety and opening restaurants in affluent neighborhoods will no doubt be tested in the midst of a sluggish economy and declines in eating out. The chain of 52 Cheesecake Factory outlets - including one in Baltimore's Inner Harbor - and two upscale Grand Lux Cafe restaurants hopes to open 11 namesake outlets and one Grand Lux by year's end. Chief Executive Officer David Overton recently said the company could grow to 200 restaurants in the United States, up from a previous estimate of 150. Cheesecake Factory executives said the time is right to expand, because consumers have a big appetite for its offerings.

THE ISSUE: CHEESECAKE FACTORY COMING The Mall in Columbia will be the site of a Cheesecake Factory in Howard County. How does that rate on your restaurant meter? And would you like to see more high-profile chains come to Howard County? YOUR VIEW Tell us what you think. Send e-mail responses by tomorrow to howard.speakout@baltsun.com. A selection of responses will be published Sunday. Please keep your responses short and include your name, address and telephone number. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published

The Cheesecake Factory Inc. Shares lost $1.80, closing at $19.07. Soft traffic and bad weather in parts of the United States caused the casual restaurant dining operator to post a 35 percent lower fourth-quarter profit.

Hallie Day, a 24-year-old waitress at the the Cheesecake Factory in Towson, made it into the semi-finals on "American Idol" and will compete in a live telecast Wednesday. Day, who lives in Nottingham, says she hasn't sung much professionally, and her appearance Wednesday  will be her first with an audience that size. "I performed with the Jazz Caravan, a jazz band, one time," she said. "And then, I led worship at Second Presbyterian Church in Towson. Other than that, I haven't really performed a lot. So, a lot of this is very new to me. " Day, who says her favorite genre is "soul" music, says she started singing in church at age 5. "I loved the little solos that I would get, and I think that's maybe when the diva started to come out," she said with a laugh.

Last week's question: A Cheesecake Factory is coming to Columbia. How does that rate on your restaurant meter? And would you like to see more high-profile chains come to Howard County? Now we'll have Get Fatter, Columbia So, we can't have something high-class and useful, like a Wegman's grocery store, but we can have something ubiquitous and unhealthful like a Cheesecake Factory? What inconsistency! We have Get Active, Columbia, and now we'll have Get Fatter, Columbia - right here at the mall.

THE ISSUE: A Cheesecake Factory is coming to Columbia. How does that rate on your restaurant meter? And would you like to see more high-profile chains come to Howard County? YOUR VIEW: Tell us what you think. Send e-mail responses by Thursday to howard.speakout@baltsun.com. A selection of responses will be published Sunday. Please keep your responses short and include your name, address and telephone number. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published.

The meathead and floozy fest that is "Jersey Shore" returns for a second season this week. For those who somehow missed the pop culture sensation that is the show, it's essentially the peek that you didn't really want into the buzzed and vapid lives of young people on a mission to deflower most of the Garden State. There's more nocturnal wildlife in one episode than an entire season of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," insane levels of tanning, enough hairspray to knock a new hole in the ozone and, perhaps most notable, a six-pack on one guy that's so serious he's named it. In anticipation of even more of all of this, we can't help but wonder why Jersey gets these bragging rights.

Extra work by the Ravens' secondary has led to an increase in interceptions and some more housework for cornerback Domonique Foxworth. Once a week, the defensive backs have met at Foxworth's home for a couple of hours of film study. They bring their own food - from Taco Bell to the Cheesecake Factory - and talk about recognizing tendencies and playing certain coverages. By the end of the night, the players leave with a boost in confidence, but they also leave a mess. "They don't clean up after themselves, which is a problem," said Foxworth, whose Ravens play the Chicago Bears at 4:15 p.m. today at M&T Bank Stadium.

Extra work by the Ravens' secondary has led to an increase in interceptions and some more housework for cornerback Domonique Foxworth. Once a week, the defensive backs have met at Foxworth's home for a couple of hours of film study. They bring their own food - from Taco Bell to the Cheesecake Factory - and talk about recognizing tendencies and playing certain coverages. By the end of the night, the players leave with a boost in confidence, but they also leave a mess. "They don't clean up after themselves, which is a problem," said Foxworth, whose Ravens play the Chicago Bears at 4:15 p.m. today at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Cheesecake Factory Inc. Shares lost $1.80, closing at $19.07. Soft traffic and bad weather in parts of the United States caused the casual restaurant dining operator to post a 35 percent lower fourth-quarter profit.

Art Buchwald asked that this column be distributed after his death, which came Wednesday at his son's home in Washington. Buchwald wrote the column Feb. 8 after deciding to check into a hospice, suffering from kidney failure. He had discontinued dialysis and also had one of his legs amputated below the knee. He subsequently was released from the hospice, wrote a book about his experience and also resumed writing his syndicated newspaper column. He died surrounded by family members. Several of my friends have persuaded me to write this final column, which is something they claim I shouldn't leave without doing.

Angela Pierce and husband Nicolas used to enjoy a dinner date once a week. Now the Culver City, Calif., couple patronize restaurants just twice a month, thanks to gasoline prices that are on average 71 cents a gallon higher nationwide than a year ago. Unfortunately for the $175 billion U.S. sit-down restaurant business, the Pierces aren't the only ones staying away from their favorite eating places. In the past few months, restaurants such as Chili's, Cheesecake Factory and Applebee's - what analysts call the "casual dining" category that offers table service and alcoholic beverages - have recorded small but discouraging sales declines.

Baltimore finally has its own Cheesecake Factory, one of the most successful restaurant chains in the country. Don't be fooled by the name: While there are nearly 40 varieties of cheesecake on the menu, they are only part of the restaurant's appeal.The first thing you need to know about the Cheesecake Factory is that it is a factory. It's in the business of churning out millions of meals to millions of people, all of whom have decided to eat there on the same day and at the same time you have.

Alyssa Caezza, 27, restaurant worker Alyssa Caezza, a server at the Cheesecake Factory at Harborplace and an animal lover, died Friday after being struck by a Baltimore police squad car. The Bolton Hill resident was 27. Ms. Caezza graduated in 1990 from Commack High School in her native Long Island. She was a volunteer for the Special Olympics and taught Sunday school at St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Northport, N.Y. She graduated from then-Towson State University in 1995 with a degree in mass communications.

I wouldn't open a restaurant in Harborplace unless it was a seafood restaurant or a Cheesecake Factory. Every tourist who calls me wants to know where to get the best crab cake (heck, everybody wants to know where to get the best crab cake) and as for the Cheesecake Factory -- well, the lines are self-explanatory. Luckily, everyone doesn't feel the way I do. Harborplace's newest restaurant is La Tasca, a handsome tapas bar with good food. It's part of an upscale chain based in England.

Martin Kinsler lives so close to The Mall in Columbia that he can walk there. But, rather than cross one street, he gets into his car and drives. The 64-year-old resident of the Evergreens apartments, a rental community for ages 55 and older, said crossing Ring Road, the roadway that circles the mall, is life-threatening. "I was walking across to get to the mall, and it was difficult. ... Me and my wife were nearly hit," said Kinsler, who said several of his neighbors had similar experiences and now drive across the street.