Would you accept or take a date to The Cheesecake Factory? 

The ongoing social media debate about dating at The Cheesecake Factory and other chain restaurants, explained. 

It was only a few years ago that Drake was boasting about his love for The Cheesecake Factory, but now social media users are singing a different song. Recently, a young woman named “Alicia” went viral on TikTok after she recorded a video sharing her disdain for a man taking her to The Cheesecake Factory as a first date. 

“This is the Cheesecake Factory, y’all,” she said in the video. “This is a chain restaurant. Who takes someone that looks like this to a chain restaurant? […] Look at me, I can not go into the Cheesecake Factory.” 

As the woman shared her disapproval of going to a chain restaurant for a first date, she and her date have a conversation in the video about her feelings. According to Alicia, chain restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory don’t meet her expected standards when it comes to a first date.

“When you take out a beautiful woman, and you’re courting her, you’re supposed to take care of her. You’re supposed to cover her, protect her, cherish her, treat her well.”

In Alicia’s eyes, those obligations are not honored if her date decides to take her to The Cheesecake Factory. The twist comes during the recorded conversation; while her date agrees with her assessment of how to court a woman, he also explains that because she made him wait an hour past their scheduled meeting time, they were no longer able to make the reservation at a more upscale restaurant as he had planned. Since the virality of the original video, Alicia and her date posted a follow-up interview in which she admitted having a bad attitude about the situation but still stood by her beliefs. 

While some social media users debated about who was right and who was wrong in the situation, others couldn’t help but ask themselves, “What is wrong with The Cheesecake Factory?” 

“First of all, what the hell is wrong with The Cheesecake Factory?” asked Stephen A. Smith in response to the viral video. “Ain’t nothing wrong with The Cheesecake Factory. Not only is there nothing wrong with The Cheesecake Factory, [but] The Cheesecake Factory ain’t that damn cheap.” 

Although it is a chain restaurant, its prices are in the higher range, with appetizers between $13 and $20 and entrees costing as much as $50. 

“The View” host Sunny Hostin joined the conversation to share her appreciation for the restaurant, specifically its martinis and Tex-Mex egg rolls. 

“I want to stand up for The Cheesecake Factory ‘cause I go there every week,” said Hostin during the segment. “[…]It’s really good.”   

While the recent conversation has centered on The Cheesecake Factory, there have long been social media debates about what constitutes “the appropriate first date.” So much so, a list of 28 places “women absolutely refuse to go on a first date” has been circulating across social media platforms. Featuring a series of chain restaurants, the list also labels coffee dates, movie dates, nightclubs, and in-home dates as unacceptable.

While women should be skeptical of some of the date ideas on the list, like going to someone’s house, for the sake of safety, as the debate proves, the quality of the other date locations on the list is definitely up for interpretation. Time and time again, these social media conversations are a reminder that although the desire for romantic partnership is generally universal, details on who and how you date are completely subjective. 

Haniyah Philogene is a multimedia storyteller and Lifestyle reporter covering all things culture. With a passion for digital media, she goes above and beyond to find new ways to tell and share stories.

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