• NPR, Wednesday, June 24, 2009 11 AM

While we're on the general idea of "all you need is love," food critic Kelly Alexander tells us that the Cheesecake Factory hired its first marketing person less than a year ago and that she literally had to beg for an interview to do a story on the chain, which has 95 restaurants in 31 states. "Why be concerned when historically they make great money with virtually no advertising?" she asks. "How so," you ask? Well, basically they've relied on word of taste buds (and other senses), it seems.

Says Marks Mears, the aforementioned new vp of marketing: "It's all about getting to 'Wow.' That's a very important word to us. When I say we're over-the-top and multi-sensory, I mean 'Wow.' When the food comes out, it's a 'Wow,' when I taste it, it's a 'Wow.' The dessert presentation is a 'Wow.'"

The generous portions reportedly have drawn a devoted following among the behemoths in the National Basketball Association. But could the taste be just as over the top as the size? A dubious Alexander ultimately concurs that it can be after having a salmon for a wedding anniversary dinner that brought to (her) mind a line from Howlin' Wolf about a good barbecue -- "it was 'like Baby Jesus in satin pants.'"

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