I decided to meet up with a friend for coffee and cheesecake Saturday at 9 p.m., just as the mall is closing. I figured that Cheesecake Factory would be cleared out by then. The restaurant closes at 12:30 a.m. on the weekends, so maybe I guessed wrong.
The hostess said it would be an hour wait for a table for two. But get this: The wait was three hours long earlier in the day, according to the hostess.
I've called an upscale restaurant before that had about 20 tables and was told there was a six-month wait. I get it. But, three hours at Cheesecake Factory?
That's both dedication and frankly, insane for a wait that long. Diners took advantage of the text-ahead seating so they could leave and go shopping and be notified when their table is ready, she said.
Let's say someone really waited the entire three hours. I'm guessing these folks brought along snacks if they came hungry to get a table at the Cheesecake Factory where one entree doubles as two meals. If not, someone would really have to pre-plan the shopping trip by getting their name on the list right after they ate lunch, go shopping for three hours and be hungry in time for a full meal.
A group of ladies was nice enough to walk over and tell me they were getting up so if we wanted to stalk their table, we were welcome to stand by and grab it because the first-come, first-serve high-top bar tables became competitive spots. Thank you ladies. We tried to pay it forward but by 10 p.m., the restaurant was significantly cleared out.
Our server remarked that while he kept busy, at least during that wait people had so much time to read the menu diners immediately knew what they wanted.
Obviously people love and will go to great lengths to eat at their favorite restaurant or to give it a try.
What's the longest you've waited or were willing to wait for a table at a restaurant? Chime in below.
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