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| - I'd first like to preface my review by saying that I prefer to eat at non-chain restaurants too.
But of the chains, I have a special fondness for the Cheesecake Factory. Back at my old job in Virginia I would take clients out to lunch quite often, and where did they always want to go? The Cheesecake Factory. Have gone there so much, I really got to try a variety of different dishes, from the salads, to the pastas, to the steaks, salmon, burgers, sandwiches, etc. I tend to order the louisiana chicken pasta or a steak. Or one of their great salads if it's lunch time.
I was never a fan of restaurants with such an extensive menu, but Cheesecake does a good job. I cannot recall ordering anything that I didn't like. Don't get me wrong, I can't recall ordering a dish and thinking that it was my favorite ever, but Cheesecake is pretty consistent. And their portions are large so you feel like you're getting your money's worth. That's why I think it's always busy on Weekends for lunch and dinner. There really is a lot to choose from, which is good when you have a group of people that can't decide on cuisine that night.
The service isn't bad. I think that people in general need to understand that when a restaurant is super busy sometimes the level of service dips a little bit. And not all server is created equal. In every restaurant there are servers who move more efficiently, make few mistakes, and...well...for a lack of a more eloquent way to put it...are just better than others. And unless you're a regular you probably won't know who's who. Having waited tables in the past I probably tend to have more patience with service. That being said I've had great service on weekends and off-peak hours here than I did on the weekend dinners that were had here. coincidence? I doubt it.
Not much needs to be said about the cheesecake. It's always terrific.
You know what to expect with the cheesecake factory... huge menu, diverse selection, decent service, great cheesecake.
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