Cheesecake Factory's Financial Success Makes Us Ask: Why Go There?

As a local, I won't go there. It's too busy, better choices elsewhere (and not far; walk to Cafe De La Presse for some yummy French food that's not more expensive than the CF).

Plus, no local would ever say to another local "I just ate at the CF". It ruins your foodie cred.

Honest to God, I went there one time because I was curious about exactly the same thing you are - why the fuck are people waiting an hour to get in here?

It wasn't very good at all. And the portion sizes - Jesus, we should have just ordered one thing for the whole table.

That said, I think Paolo nailed it, in part - location and kid-friendly. There's also familiarity. If you're not an adventurous eater, what sounds better, Katana-Ya or a chicken parmesan sandwich with fries?

I only went there once and it was kind of under odd circumstances...a friend and I were leaving some bar-oriented event nearby and it was a bit late, and we ended up there only because we knew we could order one appetizer which we KNEW would be way too much for two people, and ended up giving away part to some homeless guy who got buffalo chicken things for dinner that night.

I can't walk past it without calling it (cue Simpsons Refernence) "the Texas Cheesecake Depository."

The food there tastes like it came out of a microwave. And it probably did -- all of these chains are known for that. Olive Garden, California Pizza Kitchen, etc. You're paying quite a bit for frozen food.

I go there when my relationship is on the rocks, and I just want to get HUGE eating mediocre food in a scenic location. On my way out, I stop by the men's department to buy a new pair of jeans with a larger waistline. Viola!

if your idea of a wasteland includes Michael Minna's flagship restaurant, i'm on the next train there.

I've only been to the Cheesecake Factory twice, but I the memory of the food is enough to make me pull a DJ from Full House and collapse on a treadmill at the gym. Yecch.

And the only reason I went there was because I was with people from out of town who had "heard about the food." In retrospect, I should have asked what they'd heard and gone to Cafe de la Presse. I would have spent the same amount of money for an infinitely better dining experience.

This is San Francisco! Nothing anywhere is ever good en--what? This isn't Chowhound? Oh, sorry. Anyway, I can understand going there for the location and kid-friendliness. But dear lord, WHY if you wanted those things would you wait an hour, perhaps longer, for the dubious honor of going there? Shit, the poor folks down at Glide don't even wait as long for their meals, and they've got a valid reason.

And Xenu, as hard as it may be to believe, you won't find a microwave in the kitchens of these establishments, or at least not used in the method you've mentioned. It's true: Someone actually makes effort to cook that badly.

Simple answer: Because a majority of the people walking this planet are brain dead, morons that have all the class and good taste of a meth-addicted stripper in a border town (on the Mexican side).

With all due respect to my good friend Paolo, I think he misses the main point. That the Cheesecake Factory is kid-friendly is key, but I don't think its popularity has anything to do with a dearth of options in Union Square. 99% of people who would or have eaten at 54 Mint, Gitane, Michael Mina, Katana-ya or Canteen would never consider going to the Cheesecake Factory for any reason. It's not even an option. On the flip side, 99% of Cheesecake Factory patrons would never consider any of those restaurants either; why pay $12 for two ounces of octopus carpaccio ("and what the heck is 'carpaccio,' anyway?") at 54 Mint when you can get 1.5 pounds of Buffalo Blast (TM) for $13.95? they think. It might seem sad to us, but for some people--and by some I mean most of America--The Cheesecake Factory is the top of the top. This is where they go to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays, impress dates and woo clients. It's also a San Francisco free-zone, in San Francisco, an embassy for all our suburban and Midwestern visitors: familiar, safe and, for all its Chinese Chicken Salads, deeply American.

Patrick Heig, Citysearch SF Editor.