Cheesecake Factory closes sole express unitCheesecake Factory closes sole express unit

CALABASAS HILLS Calif. The Cheesecake Factory Express unit at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., is reportedly scheduled to close in May when its 10-year-lease expires.

The restaurant is a one-off variant of 139-unit full-service Cheesecake Factory casual-dining brand. About 55 employees at the express unit will be laid off and invited to apply for positions at other locations.

The Downtown Disney location will be replaced with a concept called FoodQuest, a counter-service concept owned and operated by Disney.

The Cheesecake Factory Express opened in 1998 and was intended as a prototype for future Disney properties that never came to fruition.