Aesthetically, I find them kitschy and therefore fun but I was a kid in the 90s in an eternal strip mall. To me they always evoked theatre sets or something like that I think. I’ve been maybe 4 or 5 times over the course of my life? I always get a little overwhelmed by all the food on the menu most of which I know I won’t or can’t eat. But… I can’t say it’s ever been a truly negative experience.
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chefkiss.gif
This is such a perfect characterization of… so much right now. These companies have perfected this kind of simulacrum of luxury that manages to not cost very much but is good in a way that appeals to people who haven’t travelled much.
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The first one I went to was in the 80s, a few blocks from Rocketdyne, a little south-east off the corner of Victory Blvd and Canoga Ave. in what rightly could be described as hole in the wall in an area devoted to businesses you’d expect to see in an industrial park. In all ways that Cheesecake Factory was a bistro. Just a few stools for seating and noted for great sandwiches, several kinds of cheesecakes, and very, very busy takeout. About ten years later they moved to a more visible spot on Canoga Ave. in Woodland Hills… then they improved their location to Topanga Canyon Blvd. But even the nascent, tiny hole in the wall bistro required one to wait. Smart customers phoned ahead and got takeout.
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The “premium mediocre” term was, AFAIK, coined here along with a few other related terms. Very useful concepts, I agree.
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“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded!”
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That’s a fantastic piece. Thanks for sharing!
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