No Ruth's Chris or Cheesecake Factory
Hold the Cheesecake
The long-standing rumor that a Cheesecake Factory restaurant is coming to Charles County has become something of a local retail legend.
But now it has been put to rest for good -- or at least for the moment.
A well-traveled scuttlebutt that the restaurant chain would open a location in St. Charles is untrue, said Edwin Kelly, president of American Community Properties Trust, the developer of St. Charles. There also are no plans for a Ruth's Chris Steak House to open in the region, another frequent topic of discussion.
"Neither of those restaurants are interested in coming," Kelly said, although he added that the outlook could change as the county grows.
County Commissioner Reuben B. Collins II (D-Waldorf) asked about the rumors during a meeting between the commissioners and senior staff of the developer, ACPT, saying he receives questions about the restaurants from constituents at least once a week. The inquiry drew knowing laughs from Collins's fellow commissioners, who said they hear their own fair share of Cheesecake Factory talk.
Kelly said ACPT had reached out to the Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris and other restaurants to consider St. Charles, but had not received favorable responses. Still, officials said the county's rising median income has drawn many similar restaurants -- Carrabba's Italian Grill and Boston's The Gourmet Pizza, among others -- and promised that more are on the way.