I wish I could have the team who designs the inside of these restaurants design my house. Between the 'Factory in Chicago and the one in Charlotte, they're probably some of the prettiest places to eat.
The food? It's good. I've never had the issues the other reviewers are calling the "6 o'clock sweats". But the food here does seem to have some quality that leaves me feeling completely saturated. Maybe it's one of those places that makes your eyes fall out of your head when you see the nutritional facts on their food.
Whatever the case, the menu is pretty diverse. I've eaten about a dozen times split between the two 'Factory restaurants I've visited and only been disappointed once.
Their cheesecake is pretty unique. I can down a slice of cheesecake in a sitting pretty easily, but the cake from here takes me at least 3 attempts to finish it. But that's a good thing. It packs all the flavor (and calories, I'm sure) of 3 slices of your typical cheesecake into one slice.
The service has always been very good, even when it's packed, (which is often.)
Their beer list is usually pretty decent. They usually have the typical summer wheat, a couple lagers, a dark and one or two "local" brews, (for Charlotte, that means Yuengling. Chicago was Goose Island.) Nothing extravagant, but their beer selection does a good job of matching the light, stylish mood of the restaurant.
It's pricey, but I don't come here when I'm searching for a good value. I come when I'm looking for a reliable menu and a lot of atmosphere.
If you've never been, you really do need to try it. For the cheesecake if nothing else.