The Cheesecake Factory is finally coming to Surprise, with plans to open a roughly 7,500-square-foot restaurant at Village at Prasada near Loop 303 and Waddell Road by late 2027. The new location will join the shopping center's existing restaurant row, giving West Valley diners a chain they've been requesting for years without having to leave the city.
A Restaurant Row Gets a New Anchor
SimonCRE announced the Cheesecake Factory's restaurant plans at Village at Prasada, according to ABC15 Arizona. The new eatery will join a dining lineup that already includes Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Barrio Queen, O.H.S.O. Brewery and Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers, per the same report. David Overton, founder and CEO of The Cheesecake Factory, said the company was aware of local demand for a Surprise location, and according to the developer, the chain has been the most-requested restaurant in city surveys over the past five years.
Jeanine Jerkovic, the city's economic development director, called the project a sweet win for Surprise, the ABC15 report notes. Surprise residents told the city that Cheesecake Factory was the restaurant they wanted most, and the new location is expected to give them a nationally recognized dining option without a drive across the Valley. The restaurant is also expected to create dozens of jobs, per the outlet's report.
Years of Wanting the Same Thing
The demand tracks with what Surprise's own surveys have shown. The city's annual retail survey ran from mid-February through mid-March this year and drew responses from more than 4,100 residents, according to The Ave Collective. IKEA and Cheesecake Factory topped that wanted list for the second year running, the outlet reported, underscoring just how long residents have been asking for this exact chain.
Village at Prasada opened in 2023 as a shopping center at Loop 303 and Waddell Road, and it has grown into a major retail center for the West Valley. The center's tenant roster already includes Target, Nordstrom Rack, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sprouts Farmers Market, Kohl's, Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, Burlington and Sephora. Back in 2022, the developer said the outdoor retail, dining and entertainment center had signed on new restaurant tenants and was close to being fully leased, per the Phoenix Business Journal.
More Growth Planned Along Loop 303
The Cheesecake Factory arrival is only part of a broader expansion at the center. Plans call for additional retail and restaurant space at the southeast corner of Prasada Parkway and Alexandria Way, adding 21,100 square feet of shop and restaurant space, along with a family-oriented splash pad and updated restaurant row signage, according to ABC15's report. Village at Prasada continues to expand along the rapidly growing Loop 303 corridor.
Nearby development suggests the area's growth isn't slowing down. SimonCRE is under contract for a site next to Village at Prasada for a planned Whole Foods Market called Prasada East, and the city has separately received a building permit application for a second Whole Foods Market, a 35,000-square-foot store planned for the southeast corner of Waddell Road and Sarival Avenue, The Ave Collective reported.
For context on the chain's Arizona footprint, The Cheesecake Factory opened its first Arizona restaurant at Kierland Commons in 2000, according to the company's investor relations page. Its official location directory currently lists Arizona restaurants in Chandler, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson, per The Cheesecake Factory's official location directory. Surprise would mark a new addition to that West Valley lineup once the restaurant opens in late 2027.
