Mediocre restaurant that went to trash during covid, cheesecake factory and pf Chang

[Anonymous]

Title says it all these 2 restaurants are absolute garbage quality

Not sure what happened but the food is all nasty expensive and service is terrible even for Cary out.

Any others? Any insight?

[Anonymous]

My "insight" is that you are expecting good things from two mid-priced chain restaurants that were never good. At all. In any way. For any reason.

[Anonymous]

What did you expect, OP? They were never good to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Have either of those EVER been good? My very sweet but very trashy cousin LOVES Cheesecake Factory and any time she travels, wants to go to one. I went with her once about 15 years ago - it was .... not good then.

[Anonymous]

Agree with 13:30.

I do think you can see in a difference in restaurants that adapted quickly to take out and those that spent too much time just holding on waiting for covid to die down before belatedly turning to takeout.

I actually like Cheesecake factory. And we have gotten it during lockdown. I just think things that look (and taste) good in giant portions plated attractively - like the humungous chicken and dumpling thing - look congealed and yucky in a take out container. Pick things that travel ok and nothing is that different. Their "lighter" (hahahaha) Cobb salad, for example, is my favorite of all the mid priced chains.

[Anonymous]

Cheesecake Factory was pretty good about 25-30 yrs ago. It has changed substantially in it's offerings and clientele since then. Nothing to do with Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What did you expect, OP? They were never good to begin with.

Per her thread title, she expected mediocrity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My "insight" is that you are expecting good things from two mid-priced chain restaurants that were never good. At all. In any way. For any reason.

They are mispriced but low quality now, They used to be mid price and mid quality.

[Anonymous]

I ate at the Cheesecake Factory for the first time in 20 years, and it was actually better than what I expected. Maybe my expectations were too low? Anyway, I didn't feel like it was trash.

I will say though, I went with my family of 4, and 1 slice cheesecake was enough for all of 4 of us.

[Anonymous]

Rule of thumb- once they start selling their food in grocery, it’s gone way downhill. Both sell in stores. Both totally suck now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rule of thumb- once they start selling their food in grocery, it’s gone way downhill. Both sell in stores. Both totally suck now.

Momofuku sells through target, I haven't heard many people saying they've gone downhill

[Anonymous]

Both restaurants have a handful of good things on their recipe. I love those chicken lettuce wraps at PF Changs, btw, but pretty much everything else is terrible. Likewise, Cheesecake Factory has a nicely seasoned turkey burger that is not dry (most restaurants have very dry overcooked turkey burgers). I would not, however, choose to go to either of those restaurants unless I was somewhere that didn't have other mediocre options because at least I know what to expect anywhere in the country.

[Anonymous]

I only ever like going to Cheesecake Factory for cheesecake. They do have good cheesecake even if it's not made on site.

I only go to PF Chang when my parents are in town because they love that restaurant for some reason. It's fine. Agree it's overpriced but they tend to pick up the tab. Honestly, a lot of restaurant Chinese food is mediocre though.

I think restaurants like this are really struggling to find good staff, more even than other restaurants, because tips at chain restaurants tend to be much lower than other restaurants (lots of tourists from places with lower COL who will cheap out on the tip, lots of families that require tons of work but then tip 10%). So I'm not surprised if service has gone downhill. But the sad thing about the restaurant industry right now is that service is down across the board. Some of it is understandable -- places are short staffed, they have to deal with covid restrictions on top of everything else, it's been a tough couple years. But some of it is this idea that the service industry is somehow not expected to be hospitable anymore? I don't know if this is just a DC thing or what, but there's this weird attitude like customers should just be grateful for the opportunity to pay high prices and leave a 20% tip? I don't get it. Restaurants are not a necessity for me -- I know how to cook. My main reason for going out is to be treated a little. That's literally what I'm paying for -- service. If service is super slow and the waitstaff is gruff or rude... why wouldn't I just make mine own steak frites (I make a mean one) buy a bottle of wine, but on music I like, and enjoy a much cheaper version of that meal in my own house? Why would I pay a 100-200% uncharge for the opportunity to be ignored and disregarded? I'm not a masochist, thought a lot of people in the service industry appear to be sadists these days.

[Anonymous]

Food quality has gone down everywhere. Service has gone downhill everywhere. Most food prices have increased exponentially. Why would you expect these already mediocre chains to be immune from these effects?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both restaurants have a handful of good things on their recipe. I love those chicken lettuce wraps at PF Changs, btw, but pretty much everything else is terrible. Likewise, Cheesecake Factory has a nicely seasoned turkey burger that is not dry (most restaurants have very dry overcooked turkey burgers). I would not, however, choose to go to either of those restaurants unless I was somewhere that didn't have other mediocre options because at least I know what to expect anywhere in the country.

A chef I dated told me that the meat used in any sort of lettuce wrap is leftover meat that's old and about to go bad that they dice up and "cover" with other things. I now never eat lettuce wraps unless making them at home.