Worth its wait in cheesecake: we sample city’s new sweet spot
Star foodies line up to check out U.S. chain’s first Canadian outlet
The Cheesecake Factory, the American chain known best for its huge portions, vast menu of more than 250 items and of course its eponymous cheesecake selection, opened its first Canadian location in the sprawling Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Nov. 21.
Its arrival has created a buzz and, because it doesn’t take reservations, wait times to get into the 287-seat restaurant have surpassed the two-hour mark as hundreds of cake-craving diners queue up.
While the Cheesecake Factory has a relatively short takeout line as well as delivery via DoorDash, we wanted to get the authentic dining experience, so we got there early and stood in line.
So, what’s all the fuss about? Was it worth the wait?
The Star’s food writers, Amy Pataki and Karon Liu, dish out the answers.
Amy: When I joined the line at 10:02 a.m. (it opens at 11:30), I was third. The first person had arrived at 9:30 a.m., the second not much later. What do you make of that?
Karon: There were online videos of two- to three-hour waits posted a few days before. I feel lied to.
Amy: While we were in line, a random shopper walked up to me to say the line was “ridiculous” and asked, “Is it really worth it?” before shaking her head and walking away. I had to silently agree with her because I don’t have the nostalgia about the Cheesecake Factory so many others do. Would you tell her differently? What would you tell her now?
Karon: I wouldn’t normally wait 20 minutes in line for anything, let alone 90, but I would hold up our doggie bags of half-eaten cheesecakes and do a “BIG MISTAKE, HUGE” moment à la Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman just to spite her. Amy: Huge is the key word — 287 seats, 250 menu items and more than 30 types of cheesecake. The restaurant has been slammed for its high-calorie entrees, some registering more than 2,600 calories, which really isn’t a Canadian thing.
Karon: But isn’t huge what you want at a place named the Cheesecake Factory? What attracted me to this place are portions so big you can have half for lunch the next day.
Amy: Good point. But the Cheesecake Factory didn’t become a $2-billion business by expecting diners to split portions. Can you explain the mystique?
Karon: We live in a quantity-overquality world and want to see value for our dollar.
The Cheesecake Factory has this lore around it like Trader Joe’s, InAnd-Out Burger and Shake Shack. Plus this restaurant is heavily featured in that show, The Big Bang Theory.
Amy: True, but think of the American casual dining chains that didn’t make it in Toronto, like the Olive Garden and P.F. Chang’s. I think our uniquely diverse restaurant scene isn’t fertile ground for these big-box restaurants.
Karon: Oh right, you reminded me how it was such a huge deal when Jamie Oliver opened a restaurant in this mall, and I was like, “Oh, I totally forgot that it existed.”
Anyway, after waiting 90 minutes for it to open, we and everyone else in line were seated promptly. All the servers were lined up at the entrance. I was kind of disappointed they didn’t clap and cheer as we went in, like when you’re the first in line at the Apple store during a new iPhone launch.
Amy: My first impressions once inside were underwhelming, what with all that orange decor and the plastic water glasses. But the menu choices are totally overwhelming. No way can one kitchen do all that well.
Karon: The food was listed clearly, though I didn’t understand the difference between “snacks” and “appetizers” and regret not ordering one of each to compare.
Amy: There’s something for everyone. I get the appeal. But the Pickle Barrel next door does the same and people aren’t lining up for it.
I got Cheesecake Factory takeout earlier in the week and it was only a 12-minute wait, less time than it takes to find parking at Yorkdale. It was disappointing; the meat loaf ($17.95) was more like meat paste and the skinny seared tuna salad ($24.95) was too salty to finish. Even the original cheesecake slice ($8.50) was a letdown, the graham crust like cardboard and the centre frozen through.
Karon: After waiting more than an hour in line, I’d eat anything. That being said, I thought the egg roll platter ($14.95) we split was pretty good. Four spring rolls with fillings that were vaguely Asian, vaguely TexMex, something like ground cheeseburger and another that was just straight-up diced avocado. Did you like them?
Amy: Uh, not really. I preferred the main courses. Chicken Madeira ($25.95) involved tender breast meat, fried mushrooms and crisscrossed asparagus spears in an oldfashioned sauce based on fortified wine. The cheese-stuffed hamburger ($16.95) was appropriately indulgent, no?
Karon: It’s called a GLAMBURGER, Amy. They didn’t trademark the name so that you could disrespect it. It was a pretty hefty patty stuffed with melted cheddar that literally squirted out with the first bite. I wouldn’t call it the best burger I’ve had but I still ate the whole thing and the fries it came with, which negates my earlier theory of eating half the plate and packing the other half to go. I also noticed you barely touched the lemonade you ordered.
Amy:( Shudder.) Too much like frozen lemonade. But I ate almost every last bite of the coconut-pecan layer in Craig’s Outrageous cheesecake ($9.95).
Karon: I ordered the seasonal peppermint bark cheesecake ($9.95) because our server recommended it, and I always feel like the server dies a little bit inside every time you don’t order what they recommend. I liked the cheesecake with the peppermint flavouring and crushed candy cane bits but I only managed two bites before my teeth started to hurt from all that sugar, which is pretty much what I expected. This isn’t the place to go for subtlety.
With tax, the bill was $102 for two drinks, a shared appetizer, two mains and two slices of cake. Did you think it was worth it?
Amy: If I was hungry at the mall, I’d
“The menu choices are totally overwhelming. No way can one kitchen do all that well.” AMY PATAKI FOOD CRITIC
go to the food court. No way I’d stand in line. You?
Karon: I think it’s on par with Milestones or Joey’s. That’s the appeal of these restaurants: big menu so even the pickiest person in your group on some newfangled diet will have something to order, plus the food is predictable in a good way, like, free of pretentious chef nonsense.
When we left the Cheesecake Factory at about 1:30 p.m., the line was down to 20 people and, considering how many seats the restaurant had, I don’t think they’d have to wait long for a table.
Amy: We’ll check back in six months and see what the lines are like.
Karon: I think a place like this will always be busy, just maybe not twohour-line busy. The Cheesecake Factory is basically a pricier food court with table service, which fits in with an upscale mall like Yorkdale. The Cheesecake Factory, 416-781-4477, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, 3401 Dufferin St. Open Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. thecheesecakefactory.com