Cheesecake Factory- a few facts

[tommy]

do you think this was all a function of the peoples' size, or rather the fact they had to wait in a horrible hot place for so long.  skinny people get like that too, i dare say.

Oh, definitely, everyone there, no matter their shape or size or age or whatever, was annoyed.

oh. it sounded like you were preaching some sort of weight-ism or something. it just rubbed me the wrong way.

Edited July 22, 2003 by tommy (log)

[beans]

A couple of weeks ago I groaned when I saw a huge Cheesecake Factory near my beloved Nordies, downtown Seattle. (Wasn't it once one of The Bon Marche's, but all juniors clothing??)

Now one is opening within about a week in the newly developed Legacy Village, now being touted as the "Rodeo Drive" of Cleveland shopping. Grrr. I'd truly hope that CF is not on Rodeo Drive (wasn't the last time I was there about 10 years ago). The news media is fawning over lining up to go to eat there!

On a positive note, we are FINALLY getting a Crate and Barrel! Yes, I get to give my UPS man a rest from the catalog orders from their lovely store!

Besides Ohio's outrageous wine markups (Craig posted the link to an article in the Wine forum), I think I need to move.

Cheesecake Factory = Rodeo Drive eats

Indeed!

[oreganosci]

I have been to the CF a few times... thought the food was pretty good for a chain. The servings were overly large as is typical for chains. The CSPI says the cheesecake weighs in at 7 oz, 710 Cal, 49 g fat (31 saturated).

The wait was horrendous, so I haven't felt it was worth going back. Now I know that it's deliberate, I'm not ever going back!

Edited October 26, 2003 by oreganosci (log)

[hillvalley]

In high school we would put our name down on the list, go see a movie, and then come back for dinner. We never missed hearing our name called.

I must admitt that their spinach and artichoke dip and their fire roasted artichokes are two of my comfort foods. There are Friday mornings where the only way I can get through the day is the thought of s&a dip. BUT, instead of eating it there, I call in my order when I am leaving work and pick it up on my way home. There are even parking spaces designated for 20 min. or less at Cheesecake Factory (it is located in a suburban DC mall).

I love finding ways around the system and still getting what I want!

[bilrus]

On a positive note, we are FINALLY getting a Crate and Barrel!  Yes, I get to give my UPS man a rest from the catalog orders from their lovely store!

The people on the "eGullet" of design and/or furnishings are probably having this same type of thread bashing Crate and Barrel for making middle-brow products that the masses love.

Is Crate and Barrel the Cheescake Factory of the furniture world? Or is that Pottery Barn?

That said, about a third of my furniture at home comes from Crate and Barrel and another third comes from Pottery Barn.

Maybe I should give the Cheescake Factory the benefit of the doubt?

Nah.

[vengroff]

On a positive note, we are FINALLY getting a Crate and Barrel!  Yes, I get to give my UPS man a rest from the catalog orders from their lovely store!

The people on the "eGullet" of design and/or furnishings are probably having this same type of thread bashing Crate and Barrel for making middle-brow products that the masses love.

Is Crate and Barrel the Cheescake Factory of the furniture world? Or is that Pottery Barn?

The funny thing is that some of my design geek friends love Target (always pronounced as the French). It must be their equivalent of really good greasy burgers or barbeque.

[beans]

On a positive note, we are FINALLY getting a Crate and Barrel!  Yes, I get to give my UPS man a rest from the catalog orders from their lovely store!

The people on the "eGullet" of design and/or furnishings are probably having this same type of thread bashing Crate and Barrel for making middle-brow products that the masses love.

Is Crate and Barrel the Cheescake Factory of the furniture world? Or is that Pottery Barn?

That said, about a third of my furniture at home comes from Crate and Barrel and another third comes from Pottery Barn.

Maybe I should give the Cheescake Factory the benefit of the doubt?

Nah.

Actually I've never given thought to mail ordering furniture, but kitchen toys and service pieces are a different story -- Crate & Barrel, W-S and Pottery Barn.

Edited October 28, 2003 by beans (log)

[tsquare]

A couple of weeks ago I groaned when I saw a huge Cheesecake Factory near my beloved Nordies, downtown Seattle.  (Wasn't it once one of The Bon Marche's, but all juniors clothing??)

Nordstrom took over the space formerly occupied by Frederick and Nelson.

[beans]

That happened years ago (my long time sales associate recently retired from Nordies ), but what space did the Cheesecake Factory take over? I thought it was that glassy building that the all juniors department (teeny bopper clothing, shoes, etc.) from The Bon. Regardless, I'm wasn't terribly thrilled not being a CF fan anyway.

[tsquare]

Oh, all new space courtesy of the Washington Trade and Convention Center. There was a low-income type apartment building that was demolished. Amazingly enough, 2 new buildings were constructed on First Hill to replace the units and the displaced tenants were given the opportunity to move in to the new places.

[hillvalley]

On a positive note, we are FINALLY getting a Crate and Barrel!  Yes, I get to give my UPS man a rest from the catalog orders from their lovely store!

The people on the "eGullet" of design and/or furnishings are probably having this same type of thread bashing Crate and Barrel for making middle-brow products that the masses love.

Is Crate and Barrel the Cheescake Factory of the furniture world? Or is that Pottery Barn?

The funny thing is that some of my design geek friends love Target (always pronounced as the French). It must be their equivalent of really good greasy burgers or barbeque.

My design freak friends love Target too, but they love it because Target got amazing designers like Micheal Graves to design cool stuff at prices anyone can afford (more or less). The foodie equivalent would be if Charlie Trotter or the chef from French Laundry created a few dishes for Cheesecake.

Actually, that isn't a bad idea.

[nutcakes]

Apologies to Frye with last few pages (which I finally skipped, it looked like pages were growing with 'chat' as I was reading this). I don't know if there is any point in going back to CF discussion now, but...

I have done mystery shopping for CF, so I found Frye's comments interesting. I do believe that SF has a service disconnect that causes long delays and errors. Each section is trained and scripted, yet do not work well together. I took a couple kids once as a treat, and one didn't get served her meal until we asked for the check; no water or drink orders either. It's improved since then, but still many problems.

The portions are really very large and items will be packed to go. I was informed that all of the recipes were developed to taste and look good when reheated.

Everyone I take as my guest is delighted to go. I once took a Chinese coworker whose family does not eat out much and she couldn't wait to return with them. The best thing I've ever has was the luau salad. It was weird that there was a sweet layer on the large, crisp wonton, but the salad tasted so fresh and crunchy I've thought about going for it at times. The chicken marsala is one of the most popular dishes, but I haven't tasted it.

In the '80's, when there were just 3 cheesecake factories in LA, it was *the* place to go for afterwork drinks. It went corporate in '92.

[nutcakes]

Geeze, I finally looked at the dates. Apologies for reviving this tired old thread. Why is it highlighted on the front page?

[Andrew Fenton]

Geeze, I finally looked at the dates.  Apologies for reviving this tired old thread.  Why is it highlighted on the front page?

No worries; the Cheesecake Factory thread is an evergreen one.

[laurenmilan]

Geeze, I finally looked at the dates.  Apologies for reviving this tired old thread.  Why is it highlighted on the front page?

No worries; the Cheesecake Factory thread is an evergreen one.

yup, they're still there, and their lines are still freaky...

[stephenc]

Although I understand many peoples' aversion to chains, I think sometimes it is a necessity. For example, around the large mall near Philadelphia, you won't easily find a local independently owned restaurant nearby. So if I'm hungry and I am shopping, I normally have to settle for a chain as a matter of convenience.

My rule of thumb is that the smaller the chain, the better the food.

A couple weeks ago, I ate at a Caribbean themed restaurant called Bahama Breeze that was surprisingly good. Of course, there's also a CF nearby, but I think the quality there has really declined in the past couple of years.

[Toliver]

I think they need to get new management.

Christmas Eve day I had some last minute shopping to do and went to a local mall that had a CF within walking distance. I watched as the CF turned customer after customer away. Why? This was the last shopping day before Christmas and the mall was open at 9am but the CF still had their regular hours of operation (open at 11am). So I watched as person after person would try to go into the CF to buy either gift certificates or a cheesecake only to be turned away because the CF wasn't open yet. After a while, I started counting the people walking away and stopped after 50.

Imagine turning all that money away. Someone certainly wasn't thinking at the CF.

[bilrus]

A couple weeks ago, I ate at a Caribbean themed restaurant called Bahama Breeze that was surprisingly good.

Bahama Breeze is owned by Darden Restaurants which also owns Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Smokey Bones BBQ. Defintiely one of the Big Boys.

[jhlurie]

Geeze, I finally looked at the dates.  Apologies for reviving this tired old thread.  Why is it highlighted on the front page?

This was a "Greatest Hits" week for the links on the front page. Periodically we like to revive interesting older threads that newer users may never have seen, or that established users may enjoyed the first time, but forgotten about in the interim.

The Cheesecake Factory phenomenon is a fascinating one--it goes far beyond the usual fast food/chain food debates, into some strange territory where people are willing to wait for hours for whatever the heck it is that this place is actually providing.

[Tess]

We ate at a CF in a mega-mall recently, and got decent food with no wait. It was a Friday or Saturday evening, too. We'd been shopping at the mall and were starving. They told us it was an umpty-ump-hours wait, but that we could be served food in the bar. There was plenty of room and it was quite comfortable for a party of two. I had the miso salmon. It was a nice piece of fish and pretty much like the same dish I'd had at a nice Japanese restaurant in a strip mall a few weeks before. The snag, of course, was that it was more expensive at CF, and there was not the array of good, sometimes inexpensive appetizers and side dishes that you have in a Japanese place. So I would never make CF a destination, but when I want to get something before going home to crash I would certainly consider it if I can do it minus the wait.

I don't laugh at people for using fast food and chains, but I think sometimes they're not aware of the less expensive and more special alternatives. I was just in Oahu and amazed to hear people talking about going to the new CF there as if it was some kind of experience. I mean, Duke's is right there, and it's also not the best value moneywise, but it's a nice place to sit and not the sort of thing you get in Cincinatti.

[chefjgates]

After a recent visit to the new CHeesecake Factory in Towson MD, i figured that i would gather some info. First noting that i did wait for them to be opened for a little over 2.5 months before i decided to go there, (cause God knows noone is perfect in the beginning), I, went out with the family to try this place. As far as corporate restaurants are concerned, the Cheesecake factory is supposed to be one of the bests, as a step below casual fine dining for the averagee man.

This view in mind i would like to give you all some thoughts and see if anyone else has the same, or different, experiences at the Cheesecake factory, and or, any other Corporate place.

As you walk into the Cheesecake Factory, you notice that the ambiance sucks. they tried to hard to create a modern Italian meets Egyptian theme (for lack of a better term. the Music is way too loud, and the restaurant itself is not a place for a quiet meal, as everyone in the place can be heard.

The servers are slow, and dont know their service skills. (quick question, when a beverage napkin is placed on your left, would you serve a customer from the right, and reach infront of them? Answer: Yes if you work at the Cheesecake factory!) you walk up to the table and your silverware is already their, sitting on the table (yes, not on a napkin, on hte table top.) The server, though he did seem to know the menu, when we were giving him the orders, he decided half way through the order process that "maybe I should write this down." (there were no special preps.

We had to ask for refills multiple time to no avail, and when food was finally served chicken was under cooked. when i pointed this out to the server, he did take it back, and get a manager, who did a standar appology. the sad thing is that the French Frie that was over in the corner when we got in the Restaurant was still their when we left, though in the managers defence, he did look at it multiple times and keep on going.

Needless to say i was very shocked about the entire experience. I will say that the CCFactory in the Inner Harbor, is good, but the Cheese cake factory has alot to work on from service to their menu. and im sure that anyone that has ever eaten their will tell you, there are too many items on that menu to do any one thing correctly. (you know that your menu is too big when you have to sell advertisement space in the menu on EVERY page)

My rant being over now, what do you guys think?

Chef

[grumpy7]

I've never been to Cheesecake Factory establishment.

But I wouldn't expect much from a restaurant that calls itself a "Factory."

Just saying.

Also, the bare silverware on the table bugs me as well. Makes me wonder about other sanitation that goes unseen.

Are any of these chain corporate places any good? They all seem to range from awful to mediocre, though I had some tasty salad dressing at an Olive Garden once. Maybe I was just hungry.

[emilyr]

I just read through the first 5 or 6 pages of this thread, and not wanting to bring up the whole "chain v. local" or "elite v. common taste" arguments, I am curious if the CF has fundamentally changed its menu or approach in the last 5 years. I checked out their website and the menu because many of the non-chain related comments were on how complicated the menu was and how all the dishes contained 6 or 7 or 8 major components.

Looking at the menu (here's a link), it doesn't seem like the main entrees have much longer descriptions than any other restaurant I've been to recently. Sure, some of the salads, omelettes, sandwiches, and so on may be a bit lengthy, but those are dishes that usually have a lot of ingredients anyway. But, geez!, there sure is a lot to choose from.

Also, while I've never eaten at a CF, I can't say I won't. My college roommate was one of the pickiest people I knew. Her mom had MS and really never cooked when she was a kid; they ate out every night. I guess the CF is close to her house or work or something, and she's been eating there more recently. She completely shocked me the other day when she called to ask how to cook artichokes. It seems she had some on a salad at CF and really liked them. I tried for 2 years for her to get her to try them! Seriously. Plus, she said that she really appreciates that they don't freeze and ship in their sauces and cook meats to order, but she did hear that a local restaurant in her town made a better [something - I don't remember the dish] and she was going to go try it next week. Color me surprised! I think CF may be turning her into a foodie.

Edited January 10, 2009 by emilyr (log)

[Qwerty]

I've eaten there a couple of times. When I was younger it was where my sister always wanted to go for her birthday dinner, so I've been 3 times. I'd say that the first post of this thread is pretty accurate. The food actually wasn't that bad, but the service and all that was terrible 2 of the 3 times. I remember a pecan catfish dish I ate there, but nothing else was memorable. All I remember is that it wasn't bad.

Haven't been back in years, not really planning on it.

[jsmeeker]

I just read through the first 5 or 6 pages of this thread, and not wanting to bring up the whole "chain v. local" or "elite v. common taste" arguments, I am curious if the CF has fundamentally changed its menu or approach in the last 5 years. I checked out their website and the menu because many of the non-chain related comments were on how complicated the menu was and how all the dishes contained 6 or 7 or 8 major components.

Looking at the menu (here's a link), it doesn't seem like the main entrees have much longer descriptions than any other restaurant I've been to recently. Sure, some of the salads, omelettes, sandwiches, and so on may be a bit lengthy, but those are dishes that usually have a lot of ingredients anyway. But, geez!, there sure is a lot to choose from.

←

I've been to CF off and on over the past several years. The menu is the same. When people talk about it being long, they are talking about the sheer number of items on the menu. It goes on and on and on.. There IS a lot to choose from. Too much, some would say.