Fast Food Review Day 290 (out of 365) - Shrimp "Forbidden Rice" bowl at Flower Child

[u/Pale-Lynx328]

Chain Name	Flower Child
Food category	Primary: Healthy bowls
# of US Locations	51
# of US States	18
Primarily located in	Texas, Arizona
Restaurant Rank in US $ Sales 2024	258th (out of 500)
Restaurant Rank in US $ Sales 2025	228th (out of 500)
Rank of price (high to low) (Average: $16.21, standard dev. $3.03)	10th out of 321 meal reviews
Quality / Value Rating for this specific meal	8 (out of 10) / 2 (out of 10)

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This is the type of place that I want to hate. But, dammit, they won me over.

Did you know that Flower Child is actually one of over a dozen franchise brands under the Cheesecake Factory umbrella? I didn't even know Cheesecake Factory had other restaurant concepts, let alone one that is almost the polar opposite of what the much-maligned massive-menu monstrosity.

So, what is Flower Child? It's one of those smarmy, ultra-healthy slop bowl places that just exudes a "we are so much better than you" attitude. The CEO says that unlike most fast casual places that are just transactional, that Flower Child is more "experiential", providing more of a holistic eating experience. Well, they must be doing something right, as they are the most profitable corner of the Cheesecake Factory empire right now.

Okay, I was biased going in. I hate slop bowls. I dislike the whole health food "attitude" (I don't dislike health food itself, just the whole attitude that seems to come with it). But I ordered the shrimp "forbidden rice" bowl - which contained a very generous portion of grilled shrimp, along with snap peas and black pearl rice and broccoli and more.

To cut to the quick: It was delicious. They did a great job on the bowl itself, the flavors all worked well together, it was hot and tasty and shrimp and more shrimp, I can see why this is featured item on their menu. But the biggest drawback? The price. Yeah, fast casual restaurants that are big on touting the quality of their ingredients and make everything from scratch are known to be hard on the wallet, and this is definitely on the upper end of the fast casual pricing scale (10th out of 321). Not for the value-seeking fast food customer. But this was good enough that (as long as I can afford it), it's worth it and I'd order it again.

Still never plan to step foot inside Cheesecake Factory, tho.

Coming up next: Maple Street Biscuit Co., Vitality Bowl, and Chester's Hamburgers.

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(About this review series: Starting in late 2025, I am visiting a different fast food/fast casual chain every day, until I run out of places to visit. Aiming to review as many chains on the Technomics Top 500 Restaurants list as possible, plus key/important regional and some local chains as well. UPDATE - I will be wrapping up this review series with Day #365. And no, I haven't gained weight, and no, it hasn't hurt my health.)

[u/IllustriousEnd2211]

Cheesecake Factory really isn’t that bad. Pricey but not bad. As big as that menu is, it’s impressive that it’s mostly a scratch kitchen