Against the Idols of the Age
Another of the myriad reasons to love James Lileks: he hates The Cheesecake Factory.
posted by Kate Marie | 11:20 PM | Permalink
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6 comments
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6 Comments:
Ah, you've saved me from a wasted meal. Who would have guessed? I assumed one went in there to eat... cheesecake. I hope at least that tastes good. Rarely do I indulge, so I've always kept Cheesecake Factory as that special place where I'll go when I'm so underweight the doctor orders me to eat dessert. (Still waiting to hear those words.)
I'm willing to offer a lonely, half-hearted defense of those big chain restaurants. If you live in a major metropolitan area or a dense, diverse suburb where you're spoiled for choice in terms of restaurants, then going to a Cheesecake Factory or a Friday's is a poor choice. But if you live in a rural area where folks don't have much money, don't eat out much, and have few restaurants to choose from anyway, then a Chili's or a Bennigan's represents a major step up. The service is usually reliable and the food isn't bad; depending on what you order, sometimes it's actually pretty tasty. (And, unlike most "nicer" restaurants, those chains are also well equipped to accommodate children.)
I think my biggest issue with those restaurants is that much of the time they're just too damn loud. You shouldn't have to shout at someone who's sitting three feet away...
It's not really the big chain restaurants in general that I object to -- it's The Cheesecake Factory in particular. Maybe it's just that the menu and the noise always put me in a bad mood to begin with. The menu is like a novella, or a J. Crew catalogue for food, and I don't like being provided with too many options. It leaves me feeling dazed and disoriented. But that's just me.
We are somewhat spoiled for choice here (especially great "ethnic" food), but I still like places like Chili's or California Pizza Kitchen or Friday's. Our favorite place to go with the kids is Ruby's Diner, a chain restaurant here in California (I'm not sure they're anywhere else) -- very good hamburgers and great malts and the kids love it.
That's a good point about the menu. I went to the Cheesecake Factory for the first and only time a couple of months ago, and I couldn't believe how huge the menu was. You're right: it's disorienting!
Give me In 'N Out Burger.
Alas, we are often stuck with Fuddrucker's -- the burger chain of choice for good report card rewards and other such celebrations. Otherwise, it's generally Chinese or Mexican for us.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Olive Garden's food and service. Also, it's quiet and there's plenty of light for old eyeballs to read the menus. I haven't been there with kids, though, so I can only recommend it for adults.
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