Which restaurant did Penny work at in The Big Bang Theory?

Penny worked at The Cheesecake Factory in The Big Bang Theory.

Before becoming a pharmaceutical sales representative, Penny spent several years as a waitress at the Pasadena restaurant. Her job is part of the show’s early setup: she lives across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon, is trying to build an acting career, and earns money through restaurant shifts while attending auditions.

The Cheesecake Factory frequently becomes a social meeting place for the characters. Penny’s friends and neighbors visit her there, and the restaurant helps contrast her everyday working life with the scientists’ careers at Caltech. Her employment also gives the series a recurring setting outside the apartment and university.

A common mix-up is assuming Penny worked at one of the fictional or unrelated restaurants mentioned by the group. The Cheesecake Factory is the canonical answer in the series, even though Penny later leaves waitressing after developing a more successful career in pharmaceutical sales. Kaley Cuoco played Penny throughout the sitcom’s 12-season run.