I'm a Brit who went to the Cheesecake Factory for the 1st time. The portion sizes blew me away, but I couldn't decide if the decor was opulent or tacky.
I visited the Cheesecake Factory for the first time on a recent trip to Chicago.
I had an excessively large salad and a slice of cheesecake served with a mountain of cream.
The decor unnerved me. It felt like a bizarre cross between an art deco café, a Disney attraction, and Atlantis.
I visited the Cheesecake Factory for the first time on a recent business trip to Chicago. Here's what I thought.
Growing up in the UK, "The Big Bang Theory" was my only frame of reference for the Cheesecake Factory, where Penny worked as a server. When I started working at Business Insider, I was surprised to hear just how extensive the chain's menu actually is.
On a work trip to Chicago in May I finally visited the Cheesecake Factory for myself. I went to its only restaurant in the city center, at the bottom of 875 North Michigan Avenue, formerly the John Hancock Center — one of Chicago's tallest buildings.
I was immediately struck by the unique decor — and the darkness of the interior. It was very dim in the restaurant. I wasn't sure I'd be able to read my book while I ate.
These were decorative pillars throughout the dining area, as well as a very strange 3D ceiling that looked almost like it was inflated. Overall, the restaurant was very warm-toned, with gold, red, orange, yellow, and brown decor and dim yellow lighting.
As for this hole in the wall — I have no idea why it was there.
The restaurant was designed by Jordan Mozer & Associates in the 1990s. The architecture firm says it was inspired by psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll posters, French cafés, and elements of ancient Asian artwork. To me, it felt like a bizarre cross between an art deco Parisian café, a cartoon-like attraction at Disney, and Atlantis. It was quite unsettling.
Source: JMA
Outside, the patio seating was much simpler, with black tables, wicker chairs, and umbrellas.
One of the first things I saw when I entered the restaurant was the refrigerated display of cheesecakes, which you could get boxed up to take out. They looked great — but I wanted to try the chain's savory offerings first.
And, boy, was there a lot to choose from. I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant with such an extensive menu, which included pizza, tacos, steak, salad, pasta, seafood, and much more.
I could tell the portions would be massive, too. I had been planning on getting the fettuccini Alfredo, but the fact that it contained 1,930 calories before adding chicken put me off.
The salads were all pretty calorific, too.
The Cheesecake Factory also has a dedicated Skinnylicious menu, featuring dishes that come in at 590 calories or less. The list included three burgers, a chicken sandwich, chicken pasta, and tacos — plus five "skinny cocktails."
The Skinnylicious menu alone was extensive enough to be a main menu.
I ordered the Vegan Cobb Salad, which included quinoa, avocado, roasted beet, grilled asparagus, and almonds. The portion, unsurprisingly, was massive. I've never been given such a big salad before.
It tasted great and the vegetables, including the avocado, seemed very fresh. It was unusual to have a salad served with the different components laid out in strips like this rather than layered or simply mixed together. I ate about 70% and got the rest to take home.
My cutlery and crockery were very plain, which was surprising given the over-the-top opulent decor. But my sparkling water was served in a tulip glass, at least.
Then it was time for dessert. There were so many different flavors to choose from — chocolatey, fudgy, fruity, nutty. Some of them used the brands of the products they were made with to draw diners in, like Oreo, Reese's, Hershey's, Godiva, Cinnabon, and Ghirardelli.
Prices started at $10.50 a slice and went up to $12.95. You could buy whole cheesecakes, too.
I was torn between a few, but my server recommended the Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake, so I went for that. It looked tasty but quite underwhelming compared to the glossy pictures on the Cheesecake Factory's website.
Source: The Cheesecake Factory
Strangely, I was given it in a take-home box and was presented with my bill at the same time. I hadn't asked for it to go, but thought that this was perhaps a good thing anyway because it would give me time to let my salad go down a bit first.
After a stroll along the river, I headed home to tuck into the cheesecake. It was incredibly fudgy and gooey, though I would have preferred a traditional crust rather than a chocolatey one. I'd never had cheesecake served with a mountain of cream on the side before, either, and I found this a bit excessive.
My bill came to $42.41 post-tax, pre-tips. The cheesecake itself was on the pricy side, but overall it didn't seem too bad. The bill came with a note in six different languages, telling diners that "it's customary in the US to tip 15-22%."
The restaurant was busy, full of tables of both friends and families. Two separate tables sang "happy birthday" while I was there. Overall my meal was tasty and the excessive portion sizes blew me away — but I was left wondering if the decor was opulent or just tacky. Sadly it just wasn't my cup of tea.
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