I had a conversation about The Cheesecake Factory over the weekend, pondering exactly why the place is so popular, especially amongst Asians. I mean the place boils down to a high class Sizzler, featuring an above-average dessert menu for those whose 5 pounds of entree didn’t satisfy. It’s an expensive restaurant, but eating there doesn’t really represents baller status. To boot, their cuisine is lacking in any sort of identity, serving up such culturally-vague recipes that boil down to meat + starch + sauce.
Maybe the key to understanding why people eat at the Cheesecake factory is this neutral, non-commital dining philosophy. Getting a large group to agree on a place to eat is difficult, so why not take them to a place that doesn’t define it’s cuisine whatsoever? And everyone loves cake (especially asians (see previous post)). If you’re looking for a place to get full and that resembles an adult version of Chuck-E-Cheese, why not head to the Cheesecake Factory (or PF Changs for that matter).
The thing is, this distinctly American style of restauranteuring is wildly popular in Asia, China espeically. I remember there being a dozen places pretty similar to cheesecake factory, serving pseudo-American food based around dessert options with a classy yet family friendly atmosphere. If the portions were reduced a bit, I think an Asian chain of the store would do pretty well!
Maybe the NBA should broker a deal with the owners of TCF and push hard for expansion. According to this post, basketball players LOVE the cheesecake factory. It’s like the new Benihana’s! And since David Stern gets wet every time you mention China, getting TCF established in Asia would be a huge step in at least getting the players interested in going across the Pacific.
There’s no place like home. Or at least a chain representation of “home.”
