Tuesday marked the grand opening of the Cheesecake Factory in Naperville’s Block 59 development.
The national chain’s local debut is one of a series of restaurants and businesses that are opening at Block 59 this year as the long-awaited dining and entertainment complex continues to take shape.
“We’re really excited about the Cheesecake Factory,” said Rich Dippolito, vice president of redevelopment for project developer Brixmor Property Group. “They bring a great food offering and, of course, their cheesecakes are fantastic. … They’re going to provide a really good quality restaurant to our development.”
The Cheesecake Factory’s menu boasts more than 250 dishes and some 40 cheesecakes and deserts, according to a news release for opening. Its Block 59 location at 428 S. Route 59 is the chain’s first restaurant in Naperville. Other Chicago-area locations include Chicago, Lincolnshire, Oak Brook, Schaumburg, Orland Park and Skokie, according to the Cheesecake Factory’s website.
The Block 59 location will be open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.
Shake Shack was the first Block 59 restaurant to open, making its debut this spring.
The 82,500-square-foot Block 59 venture is complete, the complex will not only include a slew of new restaurants but also a centralized event plaza.
Brixmor Property Group spent last summer clearing property at Route 59 and Aurora Avenue to make way for the development.
More openings are due over the next few months, Dippolito said. Fast-casual casual breakfast and lunch spot First Watch is expected to open by the end of this month and Stan’s Donuts is under construction and anticipated to open in the next month or so, he said.
Italian restaurant Piccolo Buco is expected to follow later this summer as well as Crisp & Green, Velvet Taco, Fresh Fin and Cava later this fall. Yard House is looking to open by the end of the year, while Ruth’s Chris Steak House is planning to open by the beginning of next year, Dippolito said.
“There will be a lot more activity, other than construction activity, by the end of the year,” he said.
The Naperville City Council OK’d project plans for Block 59 in March 2023. That’s also when the council signed off on establishing the site as a business district to help fund infrastructure improvements needed for the project.
The district places an added 1% tax on sales made at businesses within its boundaries — including Block 59’s predecessor, the former Heritage Square shopping center — as well as a portion of the neighboring Westridge Court shopping center.
Block 59’s event plaza is expected to open by the end of September, Dippolito said. Brixmor is also working with an ice rink operator so it can offer ice skating to patrons during the winter months, he said.
As the development comes to fruition, Dippolito said, “It’s really starting to look and feel like what we had designed.”
