The Cheesecake Factory at Royal Hawaiian Center reopened Monday morning after a three-week closure for repairs after a kitchen fire.

It will resumed regular business hours at 11 a.m. with a grand reopening and a traditional Hawaiian blessing of the restaurant. 

The Cheesecake Factory, one of the busiest restaurants in Waikiki, continued to pay its staff their regular wages throughout the closure, the company said..

The restaurant praised the efforts of the Hono­lulu Fire Department for quickly extinguishing the Feb. 1, 2013 fire. Damage to the kitchen, exhaust ducts and neighboring businesses was estimated at $2.5 million, a Fire Department spokes­man said.  The cause of the fire was a gas leak to the fryer in the kitchen that was ignited by the pilot light.

The early-morning fire closed Kalakaua Avenue for 3 1/2 hours until firetrucks celared the scene in the heart of Waikiki’s tourist district.