Americans' 15 Favorite Restaurant Chains: Cheesecake Factory Tops List

Nation's Restaurant News has published the findings of a new Market Force survey that asked Americans to rank their favorite casual-dining chain restaurants. The survey, conducted between May and June is based on results from 5,000 of the firm's 300,000 independent mystery shoppers. The Calabasas Hills, CA-based Cheesecake Factory got top scores by consumers in 6 of 10 categories, including for food taste and quality, atmosphere, and cleanliness, when overall results were weighted for the number of locations. Apparently wait time wasn't a category.

Food writer, author and blogger Michael Ruhlman recently visited a Cheesecake Factory for the first time after poking fun at writer and author Kelly Alexander for praising the chain, and Alexander subsequently issued him a challenge to visit.

After visiting, Ruhlman concluded:

[C]learly, decent food can be had at more than reasonable prices, but it takes some careful choosing on a menu with more than 200 offerings. The biggest drawback is the mall-like atmosphere, a sense of faux everything that is perhaps inevitable in any large chain. The fact that any of the 146 CFs around the country can put out this astonishing variety of food is an impressive work of corporate organization and efficiency.

But I left feeling sad, and not sure why. I think, on reflection it was because of the sense that what we'd just experienced was simply a company responding to the demands of America, and the demands of America were helping us to take our food one step backward rather than one step forward, and I don't think we have time for backward steps.

Watch the brief video in Slide 1 below for his visit, tasting and reaction, and read his complete review and reaction here.

1 of 15

The Cheesecake Factory

1 of 16

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

The Cheesecake factory garnered 6% of the favorite-restaurant vote from respondents and scored atop the pack with 13 percent of respondent votes when they were indexed to the number of locations for each chain. Watch the brief video above for food writer and cookbook author Michael Ruhlman's reaction upon visiting the restaurant for the first time.

Top 9 Reasons You Can't Always Trust Yelp

Fast Food Restaurants You Haven't Heard Of

World's Most Gut-Busting Meals

Threatened Fish and Shellfish

Valentine's Day Recipes

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

The Cheesecake factory garnered 6% of the favorite-restaurant vote from respondents and scored atop the pack with 13 percent of respondent votes when they were indexed to the number of locations for each chain.

Watch the brief video above for food writer and cookbook author Michael Ruhlman's reaction upon visiting the restaurant for the first time.

comments(990)

Total comments: 990 | Post a Comment

1 of 16

This Chain Restaurant

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Blech. Love it.

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Favorite Chain Restaurants

loading...

Favorite Chain Restaurants

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[tuscanfoodie]

09:50 AM on 09/13/2010

The good thing about the cheese factory is tht it is consistently good, no matter what you take. Not the best restaurant in the world, but excellent for a stop for a Saturday lunch!

[susankhbelen]

09:29 AM on 09/05/2010

After moving to the boonies, I have come to appreciate the standards at several chains.
While I lived in big cities such as Phoenix, Chicago, and St. Louis I was surrounded by exemplary regional and locally owned restaurants.
Not so in the boonies.
Here we have to and DO go to certain chains for their higher standards and tastiness.
FYI we had a Denny's franchisee open around here and that franchisee runs a great restaurant. On the other hand the Village Inn franchisee should get the dirtiest restaurant ever award.
So, live and learn!

[bridgesandballoons]

11:51 AM on 09/04/2010

The only one of those I can actually tolerate is Cracker Barrel, and that's only because any good Southerner knows that Southern food is best served greasy and over-salted.

[Candace8383]

10:12 AM on 09/04/2010

How anyone could eat at applebee's beyond me the food is awful
The outback yuck
i recently ( while traveling) tried a Texas roadhouse the steak was cooked exactly right and i was impressed with that BUT they way way too much salt
the olive garden is hit or miss i do like the salad not over dressed nice and crisp but i am Italian so the pasta is well its is what it is
cracker barrel is the bane of my existence since we often drive down south and my hubby is from the Midwest where he developed some interesting eating habits why anyone would eat at this place when at least at a roadside dinner you have a chance of getting something edible is beyond me overcooked over salted vegetables undercooked eggs YUCK
Golden Corral is a buffet ( another road trip experience) some of the stuff is OK there are things i wouldn't eat but then again i can always find something i will.
IHop Sunday morning 3 kids a lot of pancakes it is what it is

[way2sunny]

07:43 PM on 08/28/2010

Keep in mind that the survey was given to mystery shoppers, not random people -- and it only talked about chains that employ that company, not all chains that exist -- and it's not a comparison between independents and chains. So I don't think it says much at all about the country in general.

[Ann Starke]

06:54 PM on 08/27/2010

My husband and I can both find something good to eat at Red Robin. They have great salads and the best hamburgers around. Also turkey burgers and vegie burgers. The fish and chips are great and I love the chili. Even though one of us has heart trouble, we can find something to eat that isn't going to kill us and tastes good for a moderate price.

Cheesecake Factory has wonderful Shepherds Pie, but I have to be very hungry to go there. The portions are huge. Good place to share an entree with a friend. Food is good. Cheesecake is to die for and will probably help you along it is so rich.

[susankhbelen]

09:31 AM on 09/05/2010

I always have lunch the next day when I go to Cheesecake Factory (and many others that serve huge portions.)

[blurredmolly]

07:49 AM on 08/21/2010

Where's White Castle?

[Candace8383]

09:53 AM on 09/04/2010

i love white castle ...occasionally

[susankhbelen]

05:10 PM on 09/05/2010

belly bombers......after the bars close.

[blurredmolly]

07:48 AM on 08/21/2010

Aren't Ruby Tuesdays and TGI Fridays the same?

[Amanda Donovan]

09:01 PM on 08/20/2010

ive been to a cheesecake factory- its a decent place to meet with a large group for drinks, or before a movie since its right at the theatre. i dont know if ive eaten much food though- just sticky sweet delicious ten thousand calorie martinis. i dont think ive ever been to any of the other places though. maybe an IHOP for late night breakfast in high school? i consider myself lucky, but not everyone in this country has as many choices of small mom and pop ethnic places to choose from.

[mellene]

12:57 PM on 08/14/2010

Of these chains, the only two I'd want to return to are PF Changs and the Olive Garden.

[Rogo99]

06:39 AM on 08/14/2010

I don't think that any real cooking goes on at an Olive Garden, and the PF in PF Chang's stands for Peter Fleming. Aren't there hundreds of hole-in-the-wall Chinese places where fresh ingredients are prepared when you order? There are great Italian restaurants all over your town without a line that do the same. Food should be prepared by chefs on site, not in a central corporate industrial kitchen by food scientists.

[raker]

09:38 AM on 08/12/2010

I detest restaurant chains and I won't eat in them. Only independently owned restaurants or home cooking for me.

[Daily Reusables]

10:25 PM on 08/11/2010

So sad!

[boswick]

06:21 PM on 08/11/2010

Ahh, a perfect list of deep-fried, fattening, high-calorie, gross buffets, over-sized meals and insipid menus.
America, stand up (if you can get out of your jazzys) and cheer! We have the best choice of the worst food in the world.

[David Michael Wise]

10:36 AM on 08/11/2010

CPK not on the list? For a chain it's actually pretty good.