Cheesecake Factory in Center City?
CCRA hears plans for 15th and Walnut.
Cheesecake Factory in Center City?
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Center City could be a step closer to getting a Cheesecake Factory.
That decision is now in the hands of the Center City Residents' Association's zoning committee, which Tuesday night heard a redevelopment plan for the southeast corner of 15th and Walnut Streets.
The plan calls for the demolition of the strip of retail businesses along the east side of 15th Street from Walnut Street to Chancellor Street - previously a bank, hair salon, coffee shop, and restaurant - as well as two adjacent properties on Walnut Street. A new building, to have a green roof, would house the popular restaurant as well as retail.
Cheesecake's n
ame came up in testimony, the first time its plans have been aired in public. It's been rumored for nearly a year.
The zoning committee's decision, due shortly, carries great impact with the city's Zoning Hearing Board, which would have to approve the plan before the wrecking ball arrives.
Comments (85)
Why are people getting their panties in a twist over this? When I was in LA last week, I saw a CF in Beverly Hills near Rodeo and if I remember correctly I believe there is a huge one on Michigan Ave in Chicago. So, while I would like to see a high end independent restaurant go in that space, it will probably nice for suburbanites and tourists to have decent place where they can take their kids when visiting the city.— denphil0503- lack*— Bradley85
- What a bunch of snobs. If you don't like Cheesecake Factory, don't go there. It pisses me off to see people attempting to be stylish by hating chains. I'll probably never walk in the place but I understand that there are people who will and can be tolerant of them.
Usually its the same people teaching tolerance that hate these kinds of places. Ironic.
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If you get pissed off this easily over people not liking the CF and thinking that it's mass-produced and overpriced junk, I'd sure hate to be around you when you have a real problem in life.
You haven't even been to the CF and here you are commenting and calling people who don't like it 'snobs' and that they like tolerance. Well how snobbish and intolerant of you.
Ironic, indeed.— Bradley85 - What a bunch of snobs. If you don't like Cheesecake Factory, don't go there. It pisses me off to see people attempting to be stylish by hating chains. I'll probably never walk in the place but I understand that there are people who will and can be tolerant of them.
Usually its the same people teaching tolerance that hate these kinds of places. Ironic.— GroJLart - My God, what a bunch of snobby hipsters on here. First of all, I have lived in Center City, PA burbs, and now NJ burbs. I work in the city and dine there quite often, mostly at the independently-owned establishments, and many of them upscale. But you know what? I occasionally eat at Cheesecake factory too, and it is damn good for what it is. Stop looking down your noses at people who dine there, it isn't becoming and it makes you seem petty and self-important. That said, I'd be inclined not. have one in the city, but what the heck -it's a free country - let them come if they want to. It's not hurting anyone. —avd1
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Calm down, champ. If someone doesn't like the CF and thinks it's overrated and can't understand why people flock to it, that doesn't make them snobs or hipsters.
Seriously. Go eat at the CF or Olive Garden or Applebee's ... who cares? But stop thumbing your noses at those who don't care for these kinds of places; it makes you seem petty and self-important.— Bradley85 - My husband and I live one block from that intersection, and the last thing we want to see is another chain restaurant in our neighborhood. It's so sad to hear visitors to the city say things like, "Look, there's an Applebee's! We'll go there after the Nutcracker," when there are hundreds of great little proprietor-owned restaurants and cafes within walking distance of the theaters and shops. The locals aren't going to go to the Cheesecake Factory, and I don't think we need to give these people from the suburbs more of what they already have where they live. I haven't eaten in a chain restaurant in decades and don't miss it one bit.— LoveParkLady
- My God, what a bunch of snobby hipsters on here. First of all, I have lived in Center City, PA burbs, and now NJ burbs. I work in the city and dine there quite often, mostly at the independently-owned establishments, and many of them upscale. But you know what? I occasionally eat at Cheesecake factory too, and it is damn good for what it is. Stop looking down your noses at people who dine there, it isn't becoming and it makes you seem petty and self-important. That said, I'd be inclined not. have one in the city, but what the heck -it's a free country - let them come if they want to. It's not hurting anyone.— avd1
- Philly women are fat enough, already.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- For those who seem to be against the Cheesecake Factory...simply do not dine there. The end.— kelprod2-freemarket
- Easily the most overpriced, underwhelming food you have ever eaten. Have absolutely no idea why people flock to this restaurant.— Drew777
- The negative comments are typical of some metro Philadelphia area residents. A restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory does yield a lot of foot traffic, offers employment opportunities for area college students and city residents and provides alternative weekend late night dining options at a moderate price point. It also enriches the tax base in Philadelphia. It may not be your restaurant of choice but there are many other options in Philadelphia from which to choose. If you don't like cheesecake, don't worry, there are plenty of other items on their exhaustive menu.— ddantz
- I would love to have an independent, locally owned restaurant in this space. That said, the corner in question has been vacant for some time now and I'd rather have a CF there than nothing at all. Hopefully a few decent jobs will be created.— PRphillyphan17
- Will Penny be working there?
- I work on Walnut street and anything is better then seeing the space empty!— jaxxi
- This is all good. Cities need all types of people. This is a sign that suburbanites are coming to Center City to shop -- and Walnut/Rittenhouse in particular. Ma and Pa Stoltzfus from Lancaster County will feel safer coming to the Kimmel Center when they see a Cheesecake Factory in the neighborhood. And some of these folks, on their second or third visit, will be adventurous and maybe try Stephen Starr or Jose Garces. And after 10 or 15 visits, maybe they'll be ready to buy an empty-nester condo near Rittenhouse Square....— tomB
- Stupid choices for the poll. Could the restaurant be good for the city even if it isn't a tourist attraction? Newsflash - Cheesecake Factory is not a big tourist attraction.— corpo
- I would prefer to eat the Cheesecake Factory meal you just threw up over eating anything at Olive Garden. And I'm not much of a Cheesecake Factory fan.— mkk9772
- I prefer Olive Garden. It's much much better.— tndmrtr
- Olive Garden is MUCH, MUCH worse in terms of food quality, it's terribly unhealthy, and the service generally is mediocre! — sbmedlg
- Well guys, I guess we'll all have to put up with the McTourists from the midwest if we want Philly to become a more notable destination. The rubes will populate the chains, the veritable travelers will find the real restaurants, so no worries.— suporma
- BTW, what half-wit wrote the question?
"Prove" Philly is a tourist destination? That may be the most ridiculously and stupidly nonsensical notion EVER! I NEVER visit cities for the chain restaurants. I want the local restaurants and so fifth!
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - even though Philadelphia is a very big city there definitely should be no restaurants allowed that I don't like!!!— Hunter S. T
- We Philadelphians may be negative from your point of view, but it's our city, and we like it that way. So please take your utterly bland ideas like a Center City Cheesecake Factory (high end, indeed!) back to wherever you came from. I'm sure they'll be received enthusiastically.— Filadee
- Great news for the fattest city in the country to have the fattest portions with the most calories, sodium, cholesterol and fat. Just what the cardiologist ordered.— Keith S.
- I would never buy a cheesecake from a "factory". I always get my cheesecake at a top of the line machine shop.— pic man
- This is a done deal; the prior retail tenants at the location ( except for the wig shop) are gone!— g-bman
- Gross, overpriced and unhealthy food.— 1972bline
- "honey, let's take the train downtown and visit this exciting new restaurant. It's called the cheesecake factory!" - said no one ever— Ryan
- the food is so good? maybe if you burned your tongue. it's typical chain crap. if they want to build it and people want to frequent it, it's not like they're forcing out all their competitors. good place for the kimmel goers i guess— dreinterests
- no chains in center city. save that bland boring crap for the suburbs.— Ryan
- you gotta be kiddin me.....i agree, this upscale corner should have a NOBU or something equally as upscale.....i can get Cheesecake Factory at the mall...and it sucks there as well...— binx
- Because Philly people aren't fat enough? How about putting a Jenny Craig there instead?— EmanuelP
- Cheesecake Factory is not the healthiest option out there but their food is good (although I agree that actually their cheesecake leaves a lot to be desired. Everything is fresh from their kitchen unlike their competition. It would be a nice addition to Walnut Street. I think some of the posters here either need to actually try CF before they post or at least pay a bit more attention to the details before falling into the ignorant, childish, thread posting which has become a hallmark of this thread and the city as a whole. —wallabyguy
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Right, because when someone who has been to a CF three times like myself has the opinion that it's like a glorified Applebees and pales in comparison to the fantastic restaurants Philly has to offer, it must be 'ignorant and childish.'
Makes so much sense!— Bradley85 - EXACTICALLY, Bradley and wallabyguy!
BUT, it's not very good at all, but it's consistently not very good at all anywhere in the world you go to one of them!
LOCAL IS BETTER!— BEMiller - I look forward to seeing Sheldon, Raj, Howard, Leonard and of course Penny doing the waitressing if it gets built.— The_Unknown-Poster
Comment removed.- And although totally not my point, but i was down at the TGI Fridays before a wedding rehearsal on an Friday night at about 6 and it was empty...that wouldn't be the case at CF.
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My girlfriend lives in Yardley and we met her sister at an Applebee's up that way a few weeks ago, on a Saturday night. There was an hour plus wait. And several months ago I went into a TGI Friday's on a Saturday night because that was my only option, and it was nearly a two hour wait.
Not to mention, the Golden Corrals and Olive Gardens ... come on, those places draw as much people as the Cheesecake Factory.
Popularity (or long wait times on a weekend night) is by no means indicative of good food, but I know that wasn't your original point.— Bradley85 - I have escorted several groups of visiting business people around Philadelphia and they refuse to go to independent restaurants. They want the chains they are familiar with.— PHILEXILE
- Ignorance is bliss.......
Cheesecake Factory is not the healthiest option out there but their food is good (although I agree that actually their cheesecake leaves a lot to be desired. Everything is fresh from their kitchen unlike their competition. It would be a nice addition to Walnut Street. I think some of the posters here either need to actually try CF before they post or at least pay a bit more attention to the details before falling into the ignorant, childish, thread posting which has become a hallmark of this thread and the city as a whole.— wallabyguy - Bradley 85- as i mentioned, this is not about the food being good/not good. The truth is it draws people into an area that would otherwise be empty. And that is good for the shops/sight in and around that area.
And although totally not my point, but i was down at the TGI Fridays before a wedding rehearsal on an Friday night at about 6 and it was empty...that wouldn't be the case at CF.— smarterthanyou - (cachet, not cache')
And thanks p-iddy. That was my point. Anyone complaining about people complaining about the idea and labeling them as 'negative' or 'dumb' should take a good look in the mirror.— Bradley85 - Hang on...we're demolishing a strip of shops on Walnut? Why don't we demolish ALL of Chestnut from 12th thru 22nd...that would be a tad more effective.— vdstrading
- Uh.. ... Including Macy's and the Ritz Carlton? Evidently, you don't have an appreciation for architecture. — denphil0503
- Philadelphians are hardly "negative" and "dumb" for not wanting a Cheesecake Factory in Center City. It makes them concerned citizens who care about their city.— p-diddy
- Bradley85, a glorified Applebees? You are clueless. This place will rake in the tourists and be a huge boon to the city. That's what it is about. The fact that anyone who posts here could show any sort of food snobbery is a joke. By the way before you use the word hypocrisy, you really should know what it means. A Cheesecake Factory would be huge for downtown Philly and that's the real issue. —syddan26
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Yeah dude, no one's disagreeing that it will be a huge tourist trap. But that was never my point.
I don't understand why people here aren't entitled to be food snobs. The cheesecake factory, in my estimation, is a glorified Applebee's. How this is 'clueless' is beyond me. You seem to be taking it personally. Truth is, there are way, way better choices in the city. (The city has *fantastic* restaurants.)
I'd much rather see an independent place go up. Leave the Olive Gardens, Cheesecake Factories, and TGI Fridays to the suburbanites. Hell, you can get them wherever you go, in any part of the country. Cheap, mass-produced food.
When these corporate chains creep into the city, the city loses just a little bit of it's cache' in terms of its dining scene. That's the point.— Bradley85 - Wow. You can never have too many chain restaurants I guess.— Jeff Dowder
- I like CF a lot. This is a very welcome news to me and wifey.— z03mbm
- Go to the Cheesecake Factory in the KOP or Cherry Hill mall on a weekend night from 5-7 and there is at least a 2 hour wait. Yet people sit and wait or go shop They don't leave, go somewhere else, etc. Wouldn't you like that kind of business downtown? Whether you like the food or not is irrelevant, there are many people that do - so much so that they are willing to wait 2 hours for it which i can't say about many other places in Philly. —smarterthanyou
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I hate to break the news to you, but people wait two hours to get a table at TGI Friday's or Applebees on a Friday or Saturday night as well.
A long wait time doesn't necessarily mean the food is good by any means.— Bradley85 - Average food of amazingly large portions!
I have been there once and I could not believe my eyes! Not my cup of tea but I have nothing against them.— EIK - I don't understand the complaining. If you know the corner, its been empty for a while. Philly needs foot traffic and cheesecake factory is somewhat lively. I'm not a huge fan, but I'll go when I can't figure anything else out. This is perfect for out of towners that aren't comfortable trying out new restaurants while shopping.— nabil
- Bradley85, a glorified Applebees? You are clueless. This place will rake in the tourists and be a huge boon to the city. That's what it is about. The fact that anyone who posts here could show any sort of food snobbery is a joke. By the way before you use the word hypocrisy, you really should know what it means. A Cheesecake Factory would be huge for downtown Philly and that's the real issue.— syddan26
- Go to the Cheesecake Factory in the KOP or Cherry Hill mall on a weekend night from 5-7 and there is at least a 2 hour wait. Yet people sit and wait or go shop They don't leave, go somewhere else, etc. Wouldn't you like that kind of business downtown? Whether you like the food or not is irrelevant, there are many people that do - so much so that they are willing to wait 2 hours for it which i can't say about many other places in Philly.— smarterthanyou
- i really need to get out more i thought everyone liked cheesecake factory. Juniors in brooklyn? well i guess that's where i will be traveling to— KEERA
- Their food is generally good. But a restaurant that takes no reservations, with a 2 hour wait list on weekends (in King of Prussia)? Forget it.— Bob1
- The portions are enormous. I always got a doggie bag. Food is good; nothing is spectacular. It's just another dining option. Not a bad place for groups like office luncheons or family parties.— Rabe56
- Comment removed.
- Grand Luxe is in Cherry Hill too, its Cheesecake Factory's higher end place. If you live in center city and go to cheesecake factory, you have issues. top places for great food in the country. Top chefs!— fman727
- Hey - remember that almost all the people that post on here hardly 'represent' Philadelphians - just the few that take the time to spout something negative to make them feel better about their own tired miserable lives. —mikmars1
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Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle.— Bradley85 - I am always amazed at Philadelphians. Everything and I mean everything is negative. The Cheesecake Factory is without question the best chain restaurant in the country. Why are people waiting for an hour to eat? Because the food is so good. This is absolutely a positive for the city and will be a huge attraction for tourists. No wonder the city has an image problem, it's residents see the bad in everything. —syddan26
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Or maybe it's because residents see the hypocrisy in things and people such as yourself. You say that the Cheesecake Factory is 'without question the best chain in the country.'
a.) Unless you've been to every single chain restaurant in the country (you haven't) then you can't accurately make this statement.
b.) It's still your opinion. Just because people don't like the food, especially people who know better (that is, people who know how great Philly restaurants are compared to this garbage), doesn't mean they're 'seeing the bad in everything.'
Your post is more of an indictment on you and how you think than anything else. Stop seeing the bad in everyone.— Bradley85 - Hey - remember that almost all the people that post on here hardly 'represent' Philadelphians - just the few that take the time to spout something negative to make them feel better about their own tired miserable lives.— mikmars1
- Nooooooo !
Been there three times and the food is average at best. It's like a glorified Applebee's. Granted, the cheesecake may be good (I don't eat cheesecake), but for their actual food, Philly can do a hell of a lot better than over-priced chain food.— Bradley85 - I'm particularly amused by RandiRN who says she's never been to a Cheesecake Factory but knows how much the food costs and how it tastes, even down to the frosting they use on their cheesecakes. I like a variety of restaurants, some chains, some mom&pops. Some upscale, some casual. Overall, this would be good for the Center City district.— jcsnj
- i bet randi secretly stops at the Factory in cherry hill on her way home from work, scarfs down a whole peanut butter cheesecake in her car, then goes home to voorhees and bashes the place to her cats
— hannibal barca 
"higher-end customers".......seriously? I am sure CC Residents will do the right thing here for themselves, local chefs, entrepreneurs, our architecture and our city.— Earl J- Demo the shopping strip on Walnut and build a new one for Cheesecake!— Aces high
- I am always amazed at Philadelphians. Everything and I mean everything is negative. The Cheesecake Factory is without question the best chain restaurant in the country. Why are people waiting for an hour to eat? Because the food is so good. This is absolutely a positive for the city and will be a huge attraction for tourists. No wonder the city has an image problem, it's residents see the bad in everything.— syddan26
- Maybe, but why limit yourself to chains? Suburbanites love Yelp: why don't they just pull out their smartphones and pick one of the eleventeen thousand fantastic independent restaurants we have in this city, instead of going to the same place they do every Friday night back in Overland Park, KS? — Thad Lawrence
- Don't get me wrong: from an economic standpoint, this is a good thing for the city. I just don't get it, that's all. — Thad Lawrence
- Actually, NO, this is NOT an economic good thing for the City.
All it amounts to is more money being taken FROM the City by another hoard of carpetbaggers, to coin a term! Go to local places and keep the money at home!— BEMiller - Flawed argument. You realize The Cheesecake Factory makes an average of $950/sq ft per day, right? Imagine the taxes. — NT
- If the Cheesecake Factory has "higher-end customers," then I'd hate to see the low end of that scale.— azzuri
- Hey let's go get some high priced fast food! Those chain restaurants generally serve up food that's prepackaged, so they can maintain consistency across restaurants - so they're basically giving you TV dinners. Philly is way better than that, and has a great deal of fantastic local restaurants run by actual chefs who make their food out of actual food.— foghelmut
- I never understood the appeal of Cheesecake Factory. I went one time in Denver about 15 years ago and never really cared to go back. I don't understand why so many people are willing to wait hours for a meal at a chain restaurant.— imfio
- When you go to parts of the country (e.g. Florida) where chain restaurants are all there is, you'd understand the appeal. It's one of the better chains. Which of course isn't saying much when you live near good restaurants. — mkk9772
- Who cares? I live over in NJ and work in Center City.There is a Cheesecake location in Cherry Hill. I guess it has been open 5 years? I have yet to go there. I think it is overpriced, unhealthy fare. The cheesecake is terrible, especially that frosting. it can make you want to throw up. You want good cheesecake, real cheesecake, order one from Juniors in Brooklyn. I can think of so many other restaurants that offer better values then Cheesecake Factory. Sorry, but just another cookie cutter place to eat and spend more money then necessary.— RandiRN
- Frankly, Randi, the reason to care is to keep it OUT! And, as I stated above the "cheesecake" is awful.
BTW, barca, it's utterly impossible to take you seriously, since you seem to have NEVER had anything good to say about anything. But, then, that's the lack of a life in the big city!
— BEMiller - i can't take anyone seriously who chooses to live in south jersey. you want to talk cookie cutter, look at all the strip malls over there. you want to see a nice neighborhood, check out gladwyne — hannibal barca
- Don't knock those strip malls. Many of them include an independent BYO restaurant run by an aspiring chef, or an established chef tired of the Center City cost and/or rat race. Sure, they're dominated by the cookie cutter chains, but you don't need to visit them. And for the record, those stores that populate the strip malls are all in the city too. — tfnj42
- It won't be frequented by as many residents as visitors, but this is good for retail on Walnut! The Cheesecake factory typically has mid to higher-end customers and builds near mid-high end retail corridors. They stayed out of Philly due to demographics until now. This is a positive for the city and solidifies that our demo is getting better. The tourists will love it as well, and the new structure it will be housed in looks beautiful.— bjb2416
- The fact that the Cheesecake Factory gets "higher-end" customers tells you just how bad the food still is in Middle America. — Thad Lawrence
- the cheesecake factory is too high end for most philadelphians. the wendy's at 15th and chestnut is always packed. ditto ruby tuesdays, hard rock cafe, etc. the drones in this city can't was for the Factory to open. but at least you can wear a hat inside the restaurant — hannibal barca
- Frankly, the FEWER chains of ANY sort, the BETTER.
The sole thing that can be said for a chain restaurant is that they are most always consistent, from coast to coast.
On the other hand, consistency is not necessarily a good thing.
BTW, have not noticed any great number of people wearing hats these days! Caps, yes, but not hats!— BEMiller - C'mon Philly, you can do better than this !— fat tony
- Philly does do better than this. There are many excellent independent restaurants in the surrounding area.
But the rubes needs somewhere to eat too. This location is convenient to the conventioni center, hotels, and highrises.— Pelti - This hits the nail squarely on the head!
GOOD GRIEF!
If this dump draws mid- to high-end customers, as asserted below, that says it all for high end people! There so-called cheesecake is among the POORER I have ever had to throw away, since it isn't the least bit edible.— BEMiller
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Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
Reach Michael at mklein@philly.com.
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