Keith Orejel

I’d like to present the rural angle on the Cheesecake Factory discourse. Nearly 50% of all CF locations nationwide are located in 5 states: California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, New York. 11 very rural states (below) don’t have any cheesecake factories. Ohio, where Obama made the joke, has 7 CF locations, so it probably hits there. But for comparison, neighboring Michigan has 2. Iowa has 1. If you’re working or middle class in/near a city with a CF, the discourse probably applies. But if you’re rural, or even live in a city like Spokane, WA or Billings, MT, it’s likely you live hours from any Cheesecake Factory and just see it as another urban chain with a comically long menu located in some high-end shopping center you’d probably hate parking in (see: The Grove). If you have deep feelings for or against the Cheesecake Factory, it’s possible you grew up with regional privilege; the rest of us are just scratching our heads.