Cheesecake Factory Girl

About

Cheesecake Factory Girl refers to a viral video of a woman, Alicia, refusing to get out of the car while on a first date because her date, Jay, brought her to the chain restaurant The Cheesecake Factory, which she believed was not classy enough. The video went viral on TikTok in October 2023 and inspired reactions across social media, with many finding Alicia's behavior unacceptable, resulting in a statement by Alicia later that month and an interview with Alicia and Jay on the Kevin Wesley YouTube podcast.

Origin

On October 10th, 2023, TikToker^[1] @moniquelsantos09 posted a video, purportedly originally posted to Facebook, of a woman named Alicia filming herself from the passenger seat of a car while on a first date with a man named Jay.

They park and Jay gets out to open the door for her, but she tells the camera she won't get out of the car because they're at The Cheesecake Factory. Jay, confused that she won't get out of the car, asks what's wrong and she says, "who takes someone that looks like this to a chain restaurant." Jay gets back in the car and the two talk about it. Alicia says a man is supposed to go full out on a first date to "court her" and "take care of her." Jay agrees, saying he believes he's treated her like a gentleman, but that he also expects respect and cooperation from a girl on a first date. She asks how she hasn't been cooperative, Jay says she wouldn't hold his hand to the car and she says it's "too early" in the relationship for that, giving the same reason as to why she didn't let him in her apartment at the start of the date.

Jay insists "there's nothing wrong with the Cheesecake Factory" then says he originally planned to go to a restaurant called Aria. He claims the plan changed when he got to Alicia's apartment at 4:00 PM, the agreed upon time, but she took another hour to come out to the car. She says that work ran late, so she was late getting ready. Jay says that if they aren't at the point in their relationship where he can come in her apartment, maybe they aren't at the point where they should go to such a fancy restaurant, "especially" if he's "paying for the whole thing." He says, "we literally left your place at the time the reservation was supposed to be." He then says he wanted to leave at 4:00 so they could spend more time getting to know each other on the way there. She asks if there's another restaurant he can call then says, "look at me, I cannot go in The Cheesecake Factory, I will die," suggesting she is too dressed up for it. Jay then decides to drive her home, saying he doesn't feel respected. She says she understands where he's coming from. The video gained over 8.2 million views in two weeks (shown below).

Spread

The video went viral throughout October 2023, inspiring reactions online. On October 11th, 2023, Facebook^[2] user Derrick Branch posted a reaction to the video criticizing Alicia, garnering over 104,000 reactions and 23,000 sahres in two weeks. On October 13th, Dexerto^[3] reported on the video. On October 14th, TikToker^[4] @sophiaacsta posted a video reacting to the viral video, largely criticizing Alicia, garnering over 1.2 million views in two weeks (shown below).

Alicia's Response / Interview With Kevin Wesley

On October 17th, 2023, interviewer Kevin Wesley posted Alicia's official statement about the viral video to his TikTok^[5] page, @kevinwesleygenie, garnering over 1.5 million views in nine days (shown below). In her response, she says it's "interesting how a moment in time can shape how so many view you." She says that she has reflected on the opinions and comments she's read about the video and says her mission is to "empower women" and make them feel respected and cared for. She claims the video was never about exposing or embarrassing anyone, but to spark discussion and "foster learning and growth." She then denounces the harmful comments and people allegedly wanting to come for her job over it. She then plugs an upcoming interview with Kevin Wesley, herself and Jay and asks that people watch it for her full response.

That day, YouTuber^[6] Kevin Wesley The TRUTH FACTORY posted a full interview with Jay and Alicia where they discuss the viral video, garnering over 200,000 views in a week. In the interview, they reveal that they have not been on a second date and Jay claims that dating has been somewhat difficult after the virality. Wesley calls Jay a "GigaChad" in the red pill community. Alicia admits she was self-centered in the video but that she expects to be treated "like royalty" on a first date. She then says that "as a Black woman" she's tired of having to settle.

Jay says this was the first time he put his foot down and canceled the date like that. He says he's not interested in casual dating and wants a family, saying he idealizes relationships that last and he couldn't see that after the Cheesecake Factory incident. Jay explains how he and Alicia met at a bar and they talk about why they were interested in each other in the first place. The three then break down the exact issues with the date as Wesley explains his tenants for dating. At the end of the video, they both say that they would go on a second date under the right circumstances.

On October 25th, the official The View YouTube^[7] channel uploaded a segment from the show where the hosts discuss the viral video and give their opinions on it, garnering over 53,000 views in a day (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References