So many questions about Cheesecake Factory…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give the gift card to a teacher or a daycare worker, a crossing guard, or leave it with a note for your mail carrier. Turn your derision into something really nice for someone else.

+1. It’s really gross to read threads like this during the holidays, when people who work hard but don’t have a lot of money would truly enjoy a meal or two at the Cheesecake Factory or a similar restaurant.

I am truly grateful that I grew up at a time and in a place that will always make me genuinely grateful for what I have, and never entitled or snobby. When I think about how one of our former daycare workers always listed Cheesecake Factory as her favorite restaurant, and cried when we gave her a generous gift card there, and sent us a picture of how she treated her mom there for Mother’s Day…that warms my heart, and DCUM just floors me sometimes.

OP here. Maybe I just don’t understand the ins and outs of what you can say can and can’t because I grew up in poverty and everybody talked frankly about money and how we didn’t have any. I’m pretty stressed and recovering from Covid and I certainly enjoyed not cooking, but maybe I didn’t deserve that because I came across as entitled. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Late to help OP but for anyone else who has a trip to the Cheesecake Factory lined up, former CF server here to tell you what to order:

Avocado egg rolls to start
Eat the brown bread with butter - yum
The salads are my favorite. Asian Chicken, Santa Fe, Sheila’s, BBQ ranch
Farfalle pasta
Factory meatloaf
Chicken Madeira

Order a slice of cheesecake to share. Strawberry or dulce de leche are my favorites but you really can’t go wrong.

[Anonymous]

Indulge!
Go for something really comforting- chicken and biscuits, meatloaf, burrito.
Followed by delicious cheesecake - banana cream, vanilla bean, cannot go wrong.

I haven’t been in a long time but I used to get hibachi steak on wasabi
Mashed potatoes with mushrooms and asparagus.
It was so yummy but I don’t see it on the menu now.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know why people are saying Cheesecake Factory is for lower class. I grew up pretty poor and we never went to CF. “Fancy” nights out were at Applebees and that was very occasional. The most luxurious dinner imaginable was Outback.

CF was way beyond our means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indulge!
Go for something really comforting- chicken and biscuits, meatloaf, burrito.
Followed by delicious cheesecake - banana cream, vanilla bean, cannot go wrong.

I haven’t been in a long time but I used to get hibachi steak on wasabi
Mashed potatoes with mushrooms and asparagus.
It was so yummy but I don’t see it on the menu now.

You may be getting mixed up, chicken madeira comes with mashed potatoes, mushrooms and asparagus.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t been to Cheesecake Factory since senior year of HS (2000s). For a weeknight date night, my best friend and her BF would smoke (a LOT of) weed and get to-go cheesecake from the CF at Tysons II. Then cruise around Great Falls blasting music on mixed CDs. I’d join them sometimes and tbh just thinking about it makes me nostalgic for HS. Now I need to go get the Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know why people are saying Cheesecake Factory is for lower class. I grew up pretty poor and we never went to CF. “Fancy” nights out were at Applebees and that was very occasional. The most luxurious dinner imaginable was Outback.

CF was way beyond our means.

Same here. I went to Outback for my high school graduation celebration meal.

[Anonymous]

I had the Thai Lettuce Chicken Wraps recently (I think they were on the skinny menu) and they were really good. I also love the Avocado Egg Rolls (and the other flavors are good too). If you aren't big into cheesecake, we split a slice that was half chocolate cake and half cheesecake and it was delicious!

[Anonymous]

I always get a skinnylicious enchilada meal and a slice of cheesecake. Yum! It's not an every week kind of place but a couple of times a year, I love it.

[Anonymous]

If I could drive there safely tonight I’d go pick up takeout from CF!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I could drive there safely tonight I’d go pick up takeout from CF!

This whole thread has cracked me up. When I meet new people, I am going to ask them if they have ever been to CF. If they are horrified and go on about how they would never eat there, I know they are too uptight for me! Can't deal with these people who take themselves too seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a white raspberry cheesecake that's really good.

In a weird food emergency we once went there for brunch. DON'T do that - we both agreed we'd have rather go hungry. But the four cheese pasta is totally decent. And they have a whole section of their menu (which is bigger than the bible) that's lower calorie. My cousin LOVES this place and likes to visit each one in each new city she goes to.

Oh pasta is a good idea since this will be takeout. Good to know brunch isn’t great. There is some French toast thing that’s like 2K calories that I was tempted to try.

Funny how you let an anonymous yahoo on the Internet make your brunch decision for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a white raspberry cheesecake that's really good.

In a weird food emergency we once went there for brunch. DON'T do that - we both agreed we'd have rather go hungry. But the four cheese pasta is totally decent. And they have a whole section of their menu (which is bigger than the bible) that's lower calorie. My cousin LOVES this place and likes to visit each one in each new city she goes to.

Oh pasta is a good idea since this will be takeout. Good to know brunch isn’t great. There is some French toast thing that’s like 2K calories that I was tempted to try.

Funny how you let an anonymous yahoo on the Internet make your brunch decision for you.

Is it though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t been to Cheesecake Factory since senior year of HS (2000s). For a weeknight date night, my best friend and her BF would smoke (a LOT of) weed and get to-go cheesecake from the CF at Tysons II. Then cruise around Great Falls blasting music on mixed CDs. I’d join them sometimes and tbh just thinking about it makes me nostalgic for HS. Now I need to go get the Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake.

This is nothing short of amazing.

[Anonymous]

To answer your questions, in order:

Nothing.
That’s what they’re going for - large portions are the order of the day.
It’s mass-produced institutional food for people who don't know any better. As another PP said, it's where less affluent people go to be fancy.
No, it isn’t just the portion sizes,
For a comparable amount of food at Jaleo, you’d have to order a truly staggering number of dishes. But price isn’t the reason it’s associated with the middle class – see answers above.