WHITE FLINT CHEESECAKE FACTORY GOES DARK (PHOTOS)

NEW BETHESDA LOCATION

OPENS 11:30 AM TODAY

The Dark Side of White Flint, Part 18

Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, a frank and candid examination of the not-so-wonnerful, wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs.

The Cheesecake Factory pulled off their dramatic exit from dying White Flint Mall like clockwork. With their new Bethesda location at Westfield Montgomery Mall opening this morning at 11:30 AM, the original White Flint outpost went dark this week.

It's been an entertaining 24 hours, as after originally breaking the story about The Cheesecake Factory fleeing White Flint for Montgomery Mall, I was criticized by a handful of anti-suburb/anti-car critics for being excited about the famous chain at all. Reality paints a starker landscape, I'm afraid. Diners arriving at White Flint Mall last night for ample portions of Cheesecake Factory specialties were flabbergasted to find the doors locked and the windows dark. Discussions ensued. Rather than heading to restaurants in the new developments nearby, one group concluded they were heading to McDonald's. They wanted Cheesecake Factory, not the new White Flint.

"Cheesecake Factory is great. It
should have Michelin stars."

Equally entertaining was a well-timed weigh-in on the joys of The Cheesecake Factory by actress Blake Lively. Lively is usually associated with trendy New York City eateries and nightclubs, primarily due to her years on the series Gossip Girl. But like most average Americans, she is not ready to give up on indoor malls and The Cheesecake Factory just yet. In an interview with New York Magazine's The Cut, Lively says, "Cheesecake Factory is great. It should have Michelin stars." Interviewer Kathleen Hou points out that "you'd have to go to New Jersey, then." "I would go to New Jersey for Cheesecake Factory," responds Lively.

This is not unique to the stars. I've spoken to many people from the Big Apple who are excited to dine at The Cheesecake Factory in the DC area. I think most people, including myself, like dining at great restaurants in New York City and at The Cheesecake Factory in a mall. This is just real life, and reality doesn't fit the claims that indoor malls and the suburbs are "over," or a "mistake."

Exterior views of the new Cheesecake Factory
at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

What was a mistake, was for White Flint Mall's ownership to let The Cheesecake Factory - and its diehard fans - slip away. Those folks will head over to the expanding Westfield Montgomery Mall, which is one Great American Restaurant or Sugarfish away from being competitive with Tysons Corner as a dining destination. The exit of Legal Sea Foods has provided Westfield with the opening to make that happen now.