The Cheesecake Factory's free cheesecake deal ends in chaos, furious customers, and reports of battling delivery people
- The Cheesecake Factory debuted a deal to give away 40,000 cheesecakes via DoorDash on Wednesday.
- The cheesecakes had already sold out at many locations as of 2 p.m. ET, sparking backlash from angry customers who did not order in time.
- Stores have been crowded with DoorDash drivers, with one location in Arlington County, Virginia, reportedly calling the police to get the hectic scene under control following an alleged fight between delivery people.
The Cheesecake Factory's free cheesecake deal proved to be monumentally popular. But, the popularity has created some issues for the cheesecake chain and the delivery service DoorDash.
On Wednesday, The Cheesecake Factory launched a promotion to give away 40,000 free cheesecakes. All customers had to do was order using DoorDash.
After the deal kicked off at 11:30 a.m., the orders came flooding in. People posted celebratory pictures of their cheesecake on social media and happily dug into their free treats.
Then, the cheesecakes started to run out. At 1:18 p.m. ET, DoorDash posted on Twitter that all cheesecakes on the East Coast had been claimed.
Some customers were unhappy to have missed out on the chance to get free cheesecakes.
"The lies they tell about the free cheesecake I download the ap and they said this area isn't honoring it smh," one person commented on The Cheesecake Factory's Facebook page.
Additionally, the deal created issues in at least some stores.
People visiting Cheesecake Factory locations reported that stores were crowded with DoorDash delivery people.
A Cheesecake Factory in Arlington County, Virginia, faced such chaos that it required police intervention, ARLnow.com reported.
According to the local news station, police and medics responded to get the crowds under control as DoorDash delivery people flooded The Cheesecake Factory location. Police were called after a fight reportedly broke out in the restaurant. They arrived to discover "an unruly crowd of delivery drivers inside the restaurant, trying to pick up orders, and a rash of double parking around the Clarendon area," though there was not a fight going on at the time.
A Cheesecake Factory representative did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
