The only reason there were line ups is because the store is small and there's limited space to wait inside. They deliberately set up the order and production system so that customers have to wait. It's their marketing strategy to create hype. Another store like Love Me Sweet can produce the same thing and NOT make you wait. Actually wait...Love Me Sweet tastes better.
The cheesecake itself is not too bad. The hype is dead and finally I managed to order one without waiting. Not worth $10. I'm not the type to buy into hypes. I like to pay for the value and quality of the food. For $10 I would say you're paying mostly for the gimmick and that fancy paper bag. Within 2 years I think the hype will be mostly gone. If you don't have line ups in nice weather, I don't imagine they will have much business in winter.
And also, Uncle Tetsu is almost unheard of in Japan. He has no presence in Japan. He has been expanding overseas and basically relying on Chinese customers who think this is an authentic Japanese brand. Ask any Japanese person and they can tell you this brand is non-existent in Japan, and some may even go "huh"?