The Cheesecake Factory

The wife and I finally went to a Cheesecake Factory, our first ever. The one here in Waikiki. Not far, we walked home, but is place we always meant to try but never got around to. It was pretty good. The first thing we thought of was the Waikiki location looks a helluva lot fancier than the one Penny worked at in The Big Bang Theory. That one looked pretty dull. This one is huge and packed full of tourists all chattering on about how happy they are to be in Hawaii, so it was a pretty happy vibe. We kept quiet about being locals. As chance would have it, we both were craving a hamburger, so I had the Bacon Bacon Cheeseburger, the wife some sort of barbeque burger, both excellent. Then the cheesecake. We were surprised about how huge it was. Most restaurants will give you a sliver for the same price that we had a monstrous portion. Thinking it would be small, we ordered two slices – some sort of Reese’s Peanut Butter concoction and a Mango Key Lime Cheesecake. Huge, especially the Reese’s. Had to take them home, couldn’t finish them.

All in all, we were favorably impressed and will return, possibly for their weekend brunch.

They are a decent chain. Better than Friday’s, for example. Best to stick with the burgers or pasta. Nearest one to me is in Sherman Oaks, CA. Just a few miles. HUGE! Much different than poor Penny’s location. It’s just below the Arclight Theater two levels up, so I like to go to movies early for vodka and the Key Lime Cheesecake you mentioned. :smiley:

I’ve been to one in Pasadena too, and it’s much bigger and more factory-ornate than in the show.

I was all prepared to say that we don’t have them in Michigan, but I decided to double check, and it turns out there is one in Michigan, and not far. It looks like it’s attached to a mall, so the chances are good that I’ll never eat there.

I remember seeing one in Phoenix or a suburb back in '04 or so, whenever I drove up from Hermosillo. It was in some type of “fashion mall” that I never bothered to stop at, either.

I just took a look at their website. I’m not really sure what they’re trying to be, so if I ever find a freestanding one, I have no idea whether or not I should go inside. Their menu seems to be all over the place, and I worry that it’s just frozen stuff microwaved.

If I’m ever a tourist someplace with one, you can bet I’ll be looking for local favorites, though.

There is one in ‘Tosa. We don’t care for it. The food is good though overrated.

What we don’t like is the architecture. The dining area is open air. There is no sound buffering at all. Even when there aren’t many patrons it’s loud as hell in there. You can hardly hear yourself think. It really subtracts from the dining experience.

The food is pretty decent and the portions are huge. Slightly upscale. Nothing groundbreaking. Enough variety that everyone will probably find something acceptable. Good desserts. The downtown one here often has pro sports athletes eating there, presumably because the portions are huge and the food is pretty decent and they’re open late.

I always plan on taking leftovers home. Their servings are ridiculously huge.

It’s been nigh ten years since I’ve been in a Cheesecake Factory, but I remember it as being pretty decent food for the niche. Like somebody said above, better than TGIF or Chili’s or Applebee’s. I wouldn’t say they’re over-rated, at least not here, because they’re not really seen as something particularly special, so they’re not particularly rated. If anything, I’d say they’re slightly underrated because their food is a bit better than I would expect from that type of chain.

‘Tosa’???

Of the other places mentioned here, I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten in a TGI Fridays. There is an Applebee’s here, at least one, and when we tried it the one time, we found it decent, but it’s all the way out in Pearl City, so not someplace we’d go often.

But Chili’s – man alive, it doesn’t take much to be better than Chili’s. Ate there once. Ordered a burger and thought they brought me an empty plate. Then I shifted the paper napkin and spotted it underneath. Small portions, big prices. Never again.

Every Applebee’s I have had the misfortune to dine in labored from the misconception that french fries need to be peppered to death, or at least ineatability.

My guess is that would be “Wauwa-”

Can we stop assuming that everyone understands whatever stupid local abbreviation is obvious to you?

To be fair, “tosa” and “Wauwatosa” convey about the same amount of information to to most of us, I would imagine. Which is to say, not much. But in either case, looking at the poster’s location data, it is logical to assume that “tosa” is a town in Wisconsin.

As for me, I’m sufficiently incurious about nailing down the precise location that I don’t really care if pkbites wants to use a local nickname.

Oh, I don’t care either. But if you want to pretend that we’re having a conversation, it helps if you don’t leave others lost.

BTW, I’ve never been to The Cheesecake Factory but I remember reading, perhaps in previous threads, that they deliberately made people wait to be seated, even if tables are available. Do they still do that?

Not in my experience this year and last year, or my daughter’s who was a waitress there 2 years ago. This is in Seattle/Bellevue. Your city may vary…

I can walk over to Junior’s Cheesecake on Flatbush Avenue if I want, so I’ve never been tempted to go anywhere else for cheesecake.

Only had a meal there once though, when Little Banjo was eight or so. Stole the glass the egg cream came in, because it was marked with the recipe ingredients and levels to pour the Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup, the milk, and the seltzer.

Such a travesty! Chili’s used to be really good before they went corporate.

One thing I hate about them is that it is corporate policy to make you wait even if they dont need you to do so. They think it makes the place look more in demand.

I wont patronize them for this reason.

Oddly, in our little TX town, Chili’s is one of the better choices. Pretty consistent food, service, but it’s loud.

I prefer our Applebee’s for food/menu but the kitchen is inconsistent in speed (the old hand wait-staff are consistently good) and the owner doesn’t seem to care about basic maintenance such as making sure the AC can keep up in the summer time.

As far as the Cheesecake Factory, we have to drive 1+ hours to get there. The last time we happen to be there, the food seem to be a cut above. But, it also seemed over priced.

Just so you know, you’re not going crazy. I know I’ve read this about some chain – it may very well be complete bullshit – but I swear I have read this as well. I thought maybe Cracker Barrel or something like that, but that doesn’t make sense, as it’s not trying to be semi-upscale. They have the whole gift shop you walk through, so no need.