The Cheesecake Factory has unexpectedly become embroiled in a heated debate about dating culture.
The conversation sparked in October when a TikTok posted by @moniquesantos09 showed a woman complaining after she refused to get out of the car because her date took her to The Cheesecake Factory. Outlets like Daily Mail and Daily Dot reported that @moniquesantos09 clarified in a now-deleted TikTok that she's not the woman in the video.
"You don't understand; look at me," the woman said in the video. "I cannot go in The Cheesecake Factory. I will die. That's embarrassing."
Two weeks later, The Cheesecake Factory snagged the top spot on a viral list of restaurants to avoid for a first date.
Both posts gained millions of views, prompting some to defend the American chain restaurant, including sports TV personality Stephen A. Smith.
"Ain't nothing wrong with the Cheesecake Factory," Smith said in a clip shared October 24 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
And another woman on X added: "Idk what yall talking bout, I love a good mall date & Cheesecake Factory dinner.
As people clamored about The Cheesecake Factory online, my boyfriend and I realized we had not visited a location for over a decade. On Monday, Xavier and I embarked on an impromptu date to Queens to discover if The Cheesecake Factory was worthwhile.