The Cheesecake Factory Fries Review: Sweet Cheesecakes, Salty Fries
- Ariel Chung
- Aug 17
- 3 min read
Today, we have an unusual restaurant chain for our fries review - The Cheesecake Factory. Founded in 1978 in Berverly Hills, California, The Cheesecake Factory today boasts over 300+ restaurants across the nation, known for their massive cheesecakes and their encyclopedia-like menu with hundreds of dishes. It certainly is a unique dining experience eating amidst orange marble pillars and faux Renaissance decor. And of course, the restaurant serves fries. So how do they stack up? Can they stand on their own amongst the eccentric cheesecakes? Let's find out.
Texture (7/10)
There is definitely a nice crisp to the fries, though they do lack a bit of crunch. The fries start out pretty warm though they do get cold quite fast, probably because they weren't fried as long to raise the inner temperature. The inner stuffing has not been beaten to a pulp and not being pasty, rather it’s very soft and complements the crisp well. The color of the fries is a wonderful golden brown. Cheesecake Factory did well on texture.
Flavor (8/10)
The first bite into the fries delivers a gush of satisfaction. Alongside the great texture, the fries are well salted and it complements the high quality potatoes well. These weren't seasoned in any other way. These were the most basic fries one could make but they managed to really bring out the essence of a great French fries flavor. And of course, the flavor is absolutely elevated with ketchup, so much so that they give you two small cups of it. It is rare that we give such a high score on flavor when they are just basic fries. But The Cheesecakse Factory has near perfected the flavor profile.
Shape (6/10)
The fries are quite uniform and straight. And due to the decent amount of natural stuffing, they aren't floppy nor do they droop. Combine this with their relatively long length, they are ideal to dip it into the bowl of ketchup until the very last bite. Overall, the shape really makes the plate of fries look tasty and is a pleasant sight to see.
Presentation (8/10)
As a sit-down restaurant, the fries are served on an actual plate. Here at The Fries Blog, we are accustomed to getting our fries in cartons or paper bags so for a change, we appreciated the presentation on a plate. The fries were nicely piled and not just scattered or dumped on a flat surface. And having two cups of ketchup, one on each side, was thoughtful - functional and aesthetically pleasing. Some restaurants pack fries in a cone-shaped basket so that the sticks are easier to grab but we actually think this plate method works better as all of us could dig in in parallel.
Experience (5/10)
Despite serving great fries, the experience takes a hit due to a few reasons. First, we had to wait 30 mins to get our fries. We understand this isn't a fast food restaurant, but half an hour is way too long and perhaps that was the reason why the fries cooled off fast. And then, it cost $8, which is an extremely high price for fries. We think it is mostly worth it but purely from value perspective, we're not entirely convinced. Of course, the atmosphere was nice and the servers were very kind and friendly.
Texture | 7 |
Flavor | 8 |
Shape | 6 |
Presentation | 8 |
Experience | 5 |
Overall | 6.8 / 10 |
Conclusion
The Cheesecake Factory has solid fries. There are no artificial frills, no random improvisations, or superficial garnish. They are just great fries, made with good potatoes, salted to perfection. With the shape and texture optimally designed for a healthy dip of ketchup, we don't think the "basic" fries can get much better. And we can confidently state that these fries can stand out on their own from the book of menu listings to order. If it wasn't for the 30 mins of wait, I think these would've been one of the top fries in our list.
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