Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Columns

A chain champion gets a seat at our table

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published April 27, 2007

Delia McKay arrived 45 minutes ahead of schedule.

She discovered the Cheesecake Factory years ago at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and has made countless drives to the chain's restaurant at International Plaza in Tampa. So McKay, of Mango, thought nothing of showing up at 4:15 p.m. for the restaurant's 5 p.m. grand opening at Westfield Brandon on Monday.

"I like the food; I like the variety; I like the value, and I love the cheesecake," said McKay, 58.

McKay and her friend Sue Weber, 68, gathered outside with about 30 others as they waited for the Cheesecake Factory to open its doors for the first time. From 22-year-old Brandi Carter, who called the food succulent, to Harold Williams, who was celebrating his 73rd birthday with longtime companion Julia Timmons, the line was as diverse as it was long.

What prompted folks to queue up before the restaurant had served one entree or sliced one cake?

"Hunger," quipped Annette Buzbee, ready to clash with anyone who got between her and a table. "I'm just saying keep your camera handy."

Buzbee and Eva Elsberry came up from Ruskin. For them, a new restaurant opening anywhere in the vicinity is a big deal.

"I remember getting excited when we got a McDonald's in Ruskin," Elsberry said with a laugh. "And when we got Taco Bell? We were high-class then."

As the Brandon area grows, it's not uncommon for new restaurants to fire up the grill and give it a go. The Cheesecake Factory, however, brings an entirely different kind of flavor to the restaurant scene.

Start with the fact that while other chains have thousands of locations, this is only the 124th version of the Factory. Even though it never advertises, the average store annually grosses $11-million, and the company has never had to close a restaurant.

With 200 local employees, culled from 2,000 applications, the Cheesecake Factory immediately becomes one of the area's larger employers.

After opening the doors of the restaurant just before 5 p.m. Monday, they seated 51 parties in the first 20 minutes and 74 groups in the first half-hour. By 5:30 p.m., hostesses started handing out pagers for folks waiting for indoor tables at the 380-seat facility.

It's a trend that's certain to continue, and the wait may run as high as two hours. Still, people will be willing to stick it out. Why?

The popularity is rooted in the cheesecake recipes Evelyn Overton handed down to her son and founder David, and a spiral-bound, multipage menu that may be larger than the Ruskin telephone book.

The Cheesecake Factory offers more than 200 menu selections plus 50 desserts. Italian, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese can be found among entrees, along with steaks, burgers, barbecue, sandwiches, pizza, omelettes and a gazillion chicken dishes.

Portions are so large that 80 percent of the dinner crowd takes leftovers home. Guests often share entrees, and that's fine with management, because it leaves room for sinful concoctions such as chocolate tower truffle cake and dulce de leche caramel cheesecake.

Yes, I'm salivating.

For some, it may seem folly to get excited about another chain restaurant. But back in the 1990s, I wrote to the Cheesecake Factory pleading for a Tampa location after dining at their Miami restaurant for years.

Much like my newfound friends Annette and Eva, I totally understand the thrill that comes from getting that new place you could only find elsewhere. When a new restaurant opens in Brandon, it usually means one less trip to Tampa and one less whine from someone saying, "They have it in New York. Why don't we have one here?"

My excitement, however, comes with one caveat. Our zeal about the latest dining chain must be tempered with the knowledge that it is the smaller, independent restaurants that distinguish our community.

So the next time you're at the Cheesecake Factory waiting for a table - and you will wait - make a list of your three favorite, locally owned eateries and promise yourself you'll go there at least once a month.

New restaurants won't seem so great if we lose our old favorites.

That's all I'm saying.

Ernest Hooper also writes a column for the Tampa & State section. He can be reached at hooper@sptimes.com or 813 226-3406.

[Last modified April 26, 2007, 07:29:48]