Do You Eat at The Cheesecake Factory?

July 15, 2009

Michael Ruhlman is a well-respected author in the food industry. Recently he shocked everyone when he wrote an article (prompted by a challenge from fellow journalist Kelly Alexander) that praised The Cheesecake Factory. A resident in malls across America, The Cheesecake Factory has an extensive 20-page laminated menu. While I haven't eaten there in years, it holds a special place in my heart: The Cheesecake Factory is where I had my very first mojito (shh...I wasn't 21). How do you feel about the establishment? Do you think the food is good?

Photo by flickr user mela sogono

49 Comments

Allinds33 3 years 43 weeks

the menu is so big but every time i go i still end up getting thai lettuce wraps. they are soooo tasty. yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

saradd 3 years 43 weeks

I love their food, especially the chicken piccata, it's my fav. I have eaten there several times (we don't have on in WV so only when traveling) and I've never had a bad meal. Granted I can never eat the huge portions (even the smaller lunch sizes are too big for me) but it is something I look for when traveling.

Baby Girl 3 years 43 weeks

Haven't eaten there in over a year and I live a few miles from one. Hate the food, love the cheesecake!

nikks 3 years 44 weeks

My favorite cheesecake is the chocolate tuxedo!

coffeemug2007 3 years 44 weeks

I like their cheesecake, but don't really go for the regular food. i went to The Cheesecake Factory twice Atrium Mall,MA i just ordered the FACTORY NACHOS as the meal the second time i went there i ordered the OLD FASHIONED HAMBURGER

3 years 44 weeks

Btw I love hatertot's comment. Its probably why I also like places like CF. When you're in the middle of the burbs its one of the better ones. Also people do need to realize that the quality of the entrees in these kind of chains is subjective to what cooks are working. That includes the grease factor. I live in the San Fernando Valley which is mostly chain restaurants. We're only starting to see nice small places come in that aren't like diner fair or greasy, saucy, italian comfort food. (oh add mexican food. in there) I also hit them on the road. If I'm in the burbs and there isn't a trusty DDD(Thx guy!) Ill look for Fridays or CF. But here at home I go into LA or out to the coast since me dining out is rare because of the salt. But try Amaranta's in the Topanga mall. Sounds like an odd local but the only other one is in Palo Alto and its great regional mexican food. NOT greasy or saucy. That Ill stay in the burbs for! lol

3 years 44 weeks

I love them. For a chain they're great because I have salt issues and I can usually get things with no salt which is rare for a chain. I also NEVER finish an entree. Their portions are 100% awful theres no doubt about that. But here in Cali where they are based you're starting to see changes to the quality of ingredients. The frying oil has been changed... things like that which help. I like only a few of the cheesecakes although I always share a slice with at least one other person which satisfies my sweet tooth but isn't excessive. I also never eat a meal and then eat a slice there. I usually take it home and wait a while. The leftovers can last for days and its all about portion control. Honestly.

gLam shortie 3 years 44 weeks

I WORK THERE! I have been there for a year and a half, and I love it! This is the first restaurant that follows the law...give employees mandatory breaks every 5 hours (other restaurants don't) and has great team. I love working there, because the food is pretty good (for having so many varieties of food. think about it, it's easy to have 10 FANTASTIC tasting dishes, but to have +60? that's skill.) Also, we are constantly busy no matter what. :) good for servers! I love CF's Avocado Egg Rolls, Farfalle with chicken and roasted garlic, Luau Salad, and Kobe Buger. Yes, the portions are huge----SHARE WITH SOMEONE! It's NOT meant to be eaten by one person. For party of 6, you should order an appetizer, 3 entrees, and 2 desserts to share...it will be plenty, i swear!

POPSUGAR Food 3 years 44 weeks

Shoneyjoe, that is a spot-on observation! I don't mind eating at the CF but always feel disgusting afterwards.

Whitfield517 3 years 44 weeks

I really like the cheesecake but the food is a miss. I think part of the problem is that the menu is huge. The staff should only have to focus of a few core dishes and make them memorable, instead they try to make everything from home style meatloaf to Asian stir fry. I think most people keep going back for the atmosphere not the food.

MzKita 3 years 44 weeks

I usually keep it at desserts, cocktails, and appetizers.

DCStar 3 years 44 weeks

I don't do chain restaurants. That said, I've eaten at CF and enjoyed it better than most other chains. They're well managed and try to stay on top of their game with quality ingredients.

Triste3030 3 years 44 weeks

No, but I love cheesecake!

kurniakasih 3 years 44 weeks

A date brought me there, but the place was so crowded, we ended up at a bar where he had some cocktail and yeah, we left to eat at Olive Garden's after that LMAO.

3 years 44 weeks

Haha I never ever get ID-ed at this place (as a minor in the US - but legal in Canada).

hotdog44 3 years 44 weeks

I've been there a couple of times and I'm not a fan. I think there menu is ridiculous, why don't you just limit the items but actually do them well. Also, I went to see a comedian who called it the sh*t cake factory.

shoneyjoe 3 years 44 weeks

Oh god... Does anyone remember the Food Network show "Into The Fire"? It was supposed to be a behind the scenes look at famous fine-dining establishments. So whey then did the Cheesecake Factory, I watched out of a perverse sense of gawking curiosity. I'd never liked their food but couldn't quite place it. Then I found out why - their head menu developers explained that they take regional favorites from around the country and around the world and "cheesecake-ize" them, meaning they amp up the salty and flavorful parts of otherwise delicious and well-balanced flavors. What results is a sort of food with flavor on steroids - totally off kilter, devoid of subtlety, and irreparably separated from all that fine dining is. Gross.

lickety split 3 years 44 weeks

party, you should come out to the new cheescake factory in walnut creek! then you walk across the street to the movie theater, afterwards Barnes & Nobel's is a block away :) the food at ours is very good, and the bar is hoppin! seriously, it's worth a trip!

HaterTot 3 years 44 weeks

I probably go once every 3 yrs, but I always love it when I do. I don't get to the suburbs often, so places like TCF are a special treat. I'm sure that seems totally backwards, but I normally eat at more upscale places, so when I get to eat at tacky suburban shopping mall places (Fridays, Chili's, TCF, what have you, I get excited. It's so cheap for the amount of food, and stuff like the thai lettuce wraps or those southwest eggroll things (that's TCF, right?) are such a fun novelty. Plus, the only times I ever find myself out in the 'burbs is usually Christmas, so it seems festive and reminds me of when I was a kid.

tepiza 3 years 44 weeks

I hate this place; everything is soooooo greasy.

cg130 3 years 44 weeks

I've never even been.

photodee 3 years 44 weeks

I must say I like the food but they are off the chart in regards to calories - it is definitely only for splurges in our household!

wunami 3 years 44 weeks

I like the place. The "Tons of Fun" burger is actually pretty good. It's huge as are most of their portions. Don't really ever eat cheesecake there since their portions are that big. It's a good restaurant for a decent to large sized group.

CiaoBella 3 years 44 weeks

Their portions are huge so I don't go there but I have bought their cheesecakes for special occasions.

toby321 3 years 44 weeks

I admit it sheepishly. I live in Atlanta--Buckhead--so there are tons of independent restaurants and not many reasons to choose a chain. However: Their Miso Salmon is to die for, and if you go early enough, you can get the lunch-sized portion. That's all I have ever had, except for a bite of cheesecake once (it's not my fave dessert so I can resist it). If you are a salmon fan, trust me: It's reason enough to endure the oversized everything about the place.

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49 Comments

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