The Cheesecake Factory

Roughly 15 years after the original location of The Cheesecake Factory opened in Beverly Hills, the then-small American chain opened its first Orange County restaurant at Fashion Island in Newport Beach – the sole OC outlet that has closed, and then only after occupying the same iconic space for 30 years, routinely maintaining hours-long waitlists in what later became the mall’s higher-end chain restaurant corridor. Today, the waits aren’t as long at the remaining Anaheim, Brea, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and Mission Viejo Cheesecake Factories, but they’re still drawing customers for two major reasons: their incredible collections of desserts, and their legendarily expansive menus, which have propelled The Cheesecake Factory to over 200 U.S. locations (and ownership of sister chains including North Italia and Grand Lux Cafe).

Over the last two decades, two competing schools of thought have hardened regarding The Cheesecake Factory: One admires and appreciates the chain for delivering a consistently solid upper-middle-class American dining experience with light international accents – a better option than seemingly ever-declining rivals Claim Jumper and T.G.I. Friday’s – while another knocks it for excesses such as its seemingly endless multi-page menu, oversized portions, and high-calorie desserts. We’ve tended to view that “more, more, more” formula from a glass half-full perspective, though our personal patronage declined as our concerns over calories increased; guests continue to have roughly 30 “Skinnylicious” appetizer, salad, and entree options to mitigate their intake here.

Those 30 choices would constitute a full menu at most places, but at The Cheesecake Factory, they’re only the tip of the iceberg. Spiral-bound laminated menus resemble small books and historically feature over 20 categories ranging from “glamburgers” to pizzas and pastas, steaks, fish, and seafood, spanning traditional American and Cajun preparations, as well as Italian, Jamaican, varied Asian, and Mexican recipes. Drinks include everything from espressos to milkshakes, flavored lemonades, cocktails, wines, and beers, and service – generally quite attentive – ensures every table receives plenty of complimentary dark and sourdough bread loaves, as well as water and drink refills. At current pricing (~$20/appetizer, ~$25/entree, ~$12/dessert), expect to pay between $50 to $60 per guest before drinks, tax, and tip.