tcf

The Cheesecake Factory was more middle class than I expected, there was a veneer of ostentatiousness, especially near the perimeter of the space, but the interior was much less decorated.¹ It was a large volume of space, the ceilings were as high as they could be, perhaps 30 feet, maybe even 40, but the decorations were actually minimal. The relative plainness surprised me. The entrance is richly decorated, both entrances, the mall exterior one and the interior one. It is a magic kingdom expression of luxury; there are two other restaurants that I have been in that are similarly projecting grandness: The Grand Lux, which I believe is the same restaurant group as TCF, and a Cuban restaurant in Queens. This iteration of the TCF seems to have gotten the walls up, and installed the stone topped tables into the densely upholstered booths, and stopped about there with building out the grand facade. The feature that keeps drawing my eye is the distant ceiling. It’s finished in dark wood, but otherwise unadorned except for the fire sprinkler nozzles that poke through at regular intervals. It’s such a huge expanse, and dramatically high, but there isn’t anything of interest for the eye to examine. Just a big empty volume up there. What effect this has, as I search for something to rest my eye on, is that I notice that the decor is actually quite thin in a lot of respects. Mahogany panels and great mirrors, stone tabletops paired with some rich-enough upholstery. A high cavernous ceiling. And that’s it.

jg

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