Congratulations to the amazing Pasco County Development & Growth Updates (PCDGU) Facebook page for another scoop that has many people in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel excited — the announcement that plans for a new Cheesecake Factory restaurant have been submitted to Pasco County (below).
According to the initial site plan, the nearly 8,000-sq.-ft. restaurant is expected to have 201 seats inside and room for an additional 78 seats outside at the Tampa Premium Outlets on the south side of S.R. 56.
The excitement of the announcement that Cheesecake Factory could be coming to our area has been tempered somewhat by the fact that the new restaurant is planned to go on what has previously been part of the already-limited parking on the west side of the mall off Grand Cypress Dr. — basically where the often-stressed valet parking station has been located (see map, also provided by PCDGU, above).
Some of the nearly 700 comments (at our press time) on the PCDGU post also lamented about yet another chain coming to the area around the outlet mall (and the Wesley Chapel area in general), while others said that if this popular chain, with nearly 350 locations in the U.S. and Canada (and 34 more licensed internationally), has to come to our area that the currently-vacant potential restaurant sites around the new Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant east of the Shops at Wiregrass mall on the north side of S.R. 56 would be a better — and less overcrowded — fit.
Of course, this is just a pre-application submission and definitely subject to many potential changes. In fact, Kelly Gilroy, the PCDGU admin, told the Neighborhood News that she assumes, “The county will allow the Outlets to alter the minimum parking standards first,” which would be necessary for the restaurant to be able to proceed in this location.
Among the chain restaurants already on the south side of 56 near the mall are Chedddar’s, BJ’s Brewhouse, McDonald’s, Longhorn Steakhouse, Rock & Brews, Main Event, Culver’s, Starbucks, MOD Pizza, Panda Express, Zaxby’s, Shuckin’ Shack, Chick-fil-A, Miller’s Ale House and the under construction Raising Cane’s and Rodizio Grill.