Cheese cake factory

One just opened in town last week. Have a friend who was hired as a bartender there. Thought we'd stop by last night to say hi. Freaking two-three hour wait...uh...no thanks.

Food's really good. Wait for the hype to die down. I advise the bang-bang chicken and shrimp.

In reply to mndsm:

+1 on the bang-bang!

I advise getting the bartender to make you a Gin Rickey. You're welcome. I have tried many different dishes there, April (the wife) and I like to treat ourselves every couple times we're in Austin. Really good spot. Wait for the hype to die down, as advised, and then treat yourself.

nicksta43 wrote: One just opened in town last week. Have a friend who was hired as a bartender there. Thought we'd stop by last night to say hi. Freaking two-three hour wait...uh...no thanks.

Ugh. Don't you have any locally-owned restaurants? You know, ones where the chef buys the ingredients?

Okay, that was food snobby of me. But I've never eaten at a chain restaurant that I felt was anything better than mediocre at worst, or acceptable, at best.

ZOO wrote:

nicksta43 wrote: One just opened in town last week. Have a friend who was hired as a bartender there. Thought we'd stop by last night to say hi. Freaking two-three hour wait...uh...no thanks.

Ugh. Don't you have any locally-owned restaurants? You know, ones where the chef buys the ingredients? Okay, that was food snobby of me. But I've never eaten at a chain restaurant that I felt was anything better than mediocre at worst, or acceptable, at best.

Agreed. I can't remember the last time we ate at a chain restaurant.

Cheesecake factory is awesome! That's why you have a wait.

While I eat the food, my wife & I usually split an entree cause they're big, but also because we want several pieces of cheesecake.

That's their name and that's what they are good at.

I've never found a "local" restaurant that has the variety of cheesecake, nor as good.

It inspired my daughter to learn to make cheesecakes and she's better, but I can't go over to her place and choose 3-4 different flavors at one time.

I absolutely refuse to wait anywhere for more than ~20 to be seated for a meal. I just don't get why people would willing suffer through that for a meal, regardless of where/how good it is.

Then again, people obviously still shop at Walmart, so I think I've proven I'm in the minority.

Oh, and yeah, I've had Cheesecake Factory a couple times and it's pretty darn good. But I'm a cheap bastard, so the idea of spending ~$20/person or more causes as much indigestion as trying to stuff all that food down my gullet I just paid for!

mndsm wrote: Food's really good. Wait for the hype to die down. I advise the bang-bang chicken and shrimp.

There is one in town. We have never actually eaten there but in the 7 years its been in the line has been around the block every single time I drive by. Its nuts I always thought all they sold was cheesecake.

Yeah, the one around here is always usually pretty busy. But it's in a pretty affluent part of MN, along with your typical "mid-scale" chains, PF Changs, Big Bowl and the like- and they're ALL packed.

Fact: Cheesecake Factory has the longest menu ever.

There are quite a few in northern VA that never have much of a wait.

petegossett wrote: I absolutely refuse to wait *anywhere* for more than ~20 to be seated for a meal. I just don't get why people would willing suffer through that for a meal, regardless of where/how good it is. Then again, people obviously still shop at Walmart, so I think I've proven I'm in the minority. Oh, and yeah, I've had Cheesecake Factory a couple times and it's pretty darn good. But I'm a cheap bastard, so the idea of spending ~$20/person or more causes as much indigestion as trying to stuff all that food down my gullet I just paid for!

Life is too short to be cheap!

i do not care for their food.

i too tend to stay away from chains except for a once every couple years trip to famous dave's

i'm a total food snob.

I prefer the other kind of cheese cake

ZOO wrote: But I've never eaten at a chain restaurant that I felt was anything better than mediocre at worst, or acceptable, at best.

You are wrong

patgizz wrote: i do not care for their food. i too tend to stay away from chains except for a once every couple years trip to famous dave's i'm a total food snob.

You're a food snob and you'll eat at FD? Come on man, unless you live in a black hole, there's better BBQ.

z31maniac wrote:

ZOO wrote:

nicksta43 wrote: One just opened in town last week. Have a friend who was hired as a bartender there. Thought we'd stop by last night to say hi. Freaking two-three hour wait...uh...no thanks.

Ugh. Don't you have any locally-owned restaurants? You know, ones where the chef buys the ingredients? Okay, that was food snobby of me. But I've never eaten at a chain restaurant that I felt was anything better than mediocre at worst, or acceptable, at best.

Agreed. I can't remember the last time we ate at a chain restaurant.

Me three. I don't do chains or Walmart.

Lesley wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

ZOO wrote:

nicksta43 wrote: One just opened in town last week. Have a friend who was hired as a bartender there. Thought we'd stop by last night to say hi. Freaking two-three hour wait...uh...no thanks.

Ugh. Don't you have any locally-owned restaurants? You know, ones where the chef buys the ingredients? Okay, that was food snobby of me. But I've never eaten at a chain restaurant that I felt was anything better than mediocre at worst, or acceptable, at best.

Agreed. I can't remember the last time we ate at a chain restaurant.

Me three. I don't do chains or Walmart.

There is a strong negative correlation between the number of items on the menu and whether or not I would choose to eat at said restaurant.

We have a great burrito place in town -- they make everything in-house. When they run out of an item, they are out for the day. I like that . . .

mndsm wrote:

patgizz wrote: i do not care for their food. i too tend to stay away from chains except for a once every couple years trip to famous dave's i'm a total food snob.

You're a food snob and you'll eat at FD? Come on man, unless you live in a black hole, there's better BBQ.

totally agree but i like the cornbread muffins and somehow eating off a trash can lid appeals to me. i make my own 95% of the time.

best bbq i've ever had was from a dirty little place in cave city KY that has a homemade smoker parked in the street out front.

back to foodsnobbery. i don't want to be able to get the same thing anywhere i go. that is why you travel, to try something new. not go eat at the olive garden out front of the hotel or to go get the same crappy ribs and smothered in cheese steaks at tgi appletuesdays. on top of that, i'm the guy that refused cheesecake after dinner at the cheesecake factory.

You mean Chesecake Fattory? Pass.

patgizz wrote: i don't want to be able to get the same thing anywhere i go. that is why you travel, to try something new.

+111100000

I hated traveling from Eugene, OR to Raleigh, NC and having folks ask me if I wanted to eat at the same chain crap you can get anywhere. No, Damnit! I want to taste the flavors of your region, try something I can't get anywhere else.

When folks visit Eugene I make sure to take them someplace to get a unique experience, not the Red Robin/applebees/outback/whatever.

As chains go Cheesecake Factory is ok but I try to avoid chains when possible. I will not more than 15 minutes for one no matter how bad someone wants to go to one though. It's hard to convince people of this bat there is better food out there. My in laws think I'm crazy but my wife and I went on a week and a half road trip and only ate in one chain restaurant, a Cracker Barrel, and that was because I needed to use the bathroom and they were at the bottom of the off ramp.

This town's just like that with new stuff. Hell a freaking Publix grocery store had people camping out for the grand opening...a freaking GROCERY STORE and the news covered it for an entire week

For the record we had one in Cincy when we lived there. My wife loves it but I could do without it. Just thought she would like to go. And mainly to see our friend. Just was baffled by the wait.

z31maniac wrote:

ZOO wrote:

nicksta43 wrote: One just opened in town last week. Have a friend who was hired as a bartender there. Thought we'd stop by last night to say hi. Freaking two-three hour wait...uh...no thanks.

Ugh. Don't you have any locally-owned restaurants? You know, ones where the chef buys the ingredients? Okay, that was food snobby of me. But I've never eaten at a chain restaurant that I felt was anything better than mediocre at worst, or acceptable, at best.

Agreed. I can't remember the last time we ate at a chain restaurant.

There are a few good chains out there. The one that comes to mind as a great restaurant is Maggiano's.

Does Penny work there?

Man, I'm hungry