One arrested at Virginia Cheesecake Factory after promotion attracts massive crowd

A man was arrested Wednesday at an Arlington, Va., Cheesecake Factory after police were called to respond to a massive crowd attracted to the business by a promotional event.

Police told ARLnow.com that one person was arrested and is expected to be charged with disorderly conduct after refusing police instructions to leave the restaurant.

The crowd, which was a result of a delivery-only special offered by Cheesecake Factory, was made up largely of delivery drivers, according to the report.

{mosads}Social media postings indicated that the restaurant chain was offering free slices of its famous cheesecake to customers ordering through the Doordash app.

Celebrate our 40th anniversary with 40,000 slices on us! On December 5th get a free slice* delivered with @DoorDash, no strings attached. Find out how to get yours. *Offer valid on 12/5/18 starting at 11:30am local time, while supplies last. Additional Terms and Conditions apply. pic.twitter.com/Rz52FxwX6Y

— Cheesecake Factory (@Cheesecake) December 3, 2018

A police spokeswoman told ARLnow.com that officers worked to “calm the situation down,” which was described as “hectic” but not resulting in any actual fights.

Reports on social media indicated that a high volume of customers ordering from the restaurant, especially at the locations in the Washington, D.C., area, were leading to long wait times and frustrated delivery drivers.

Mobs of #DoorDashers wait for hours to deliver free cheesecake as part of a @Cheesecake Factory & @DoorDash #freecheesecake promo. Not sure what kind of planning went into this but the organization & execution can be safely labeled as a complete clusterf*. All parties unhappy. pic.twitter.com/8wK0WuTUXr

— k-lala (@mybestestme) December 5, 2018