A viral TikTok showing the inside of a Cheesecake Factory kitchen after Valentine's Day has left millions of viewers stunned, offering a rare glimpse at the chaotic aftermath of one of the restaurant industry's busiest nights.
Despite reports that the Cheesecake Factory kitchen "runs like the Navy," one employee proved that on Valentine's Day, chaos reigns supreme.
On Feb. 15, 2026, user @ilovefalken posted a 17-second video to TikTok captioned "Happy Valentine's Day." It has since been viewed over 20 million times.
In the video, a camera pans around a grotesquely chaotic kitchen: garbage strewn everywhere, dishes piled high on countertops, and the kitchen's floor flooded with food scraps and brown-tinged water. Sullen workers clean up while a deadpan voice in the background states, "It is currently 1:17 in the morning."
Most commenters remarked that they would've quit in a similar situation and that the workers deserved more respect, compensation, and support.
"As a dishwasher I would quit," read one comment.
"Y'all deserve $30/hour," read another.
"Severely underpaid and under appreciated," another user added.
Other accounts on X and Instagram soon picked up the video, using it as a point of entry into their own restaurant experiences, while also facilitating a bigger conversation around acceptable restaurant standards.
"I've worked in a lot of restaurants, and never saw one that bad," read a comment on X.
"Everyone talking about the dishes THE FLOOR IS A SWIMMING POOL," a TikTok user posted.
"Seeing that kind of behind-the-scenes mess definitely makes you rethink your order," read another X comment.
This isn't the first time The Cheesecake Factory has been called out for questionable practices.
In 2024, the California Labor Commissioner’s Office reached a $1 million settlement with Brea, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Escondido, and San Diego Cheesecake Factories after they underpaid 589 janitorial workers.
In July, 2025, a Pennsylvania location was sued for wage theft and unlawful work conditions after recruiting undocumented workers.
With over 200 Cheesecake Factory locations in the United States, the popular chain won't be going anywhere anytime soon. But one can hope that they can do better by everyone—especially their employees.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @ILoveFalken via direct message on TikTok and The Cheesecake Factory via email. Neither party immediately responded to comment requests.
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