Cravings and curiosity drive cheesecake lovers to wait hours for delicacy

The lineup in front of Uncle Tetsu, a popular Japanese cheesecake franchisethat recently opened a branch in Burnaby's Metrotownmall, snakes endlessly as the sweet smell entices customers forward.

Some come out of curiosity, others to feed a craving and one man in the hopes of placating his upset wife.

"Every time I walk by, there's a three-hour lineup, so I figured today I'd drop off the kids at summer school and line up right away and hopefully get in there early," says Janice Flormata, a self-described cheesecake lover.

Flormata might even save a slice for her children if it lasts past noon, the timethey get home, she tellsCBC's Jake Costello with a laugh.

Virginia Graham, who lives across the road from the Uncle Tetsu, hasnoticed the long lines and wantsto see if the sweet treat isworth the wait.

"Every time I come over, it's like a two- or three-hour long line up," Grahamsays "I was walking home so I thought I'd give it a shot."

Sweet lies

One man hopes scoring a piece of the sought-after dessert will please his wife.

"My wife is pretty upset today and I need to do something," he said.

"I'll tell her I waited for over an hour to get this cheesecake and probably she's going to be happy Sometimes you make lies to make people happy, it's not fraud."

The man declinesto give his name.

Other passersby stop to ask what all the fuss is about, but when they hearpeople have been waiting half an hour, theycontinue on their way.

Delong Wang, who's running errands at the mall and hadpreviously tried the cheesecake in China, doesn't care about the chain's wait times or popularity.

Hejust wants a snack.

"It's so-so, it's like average cheesecake, the same taste," Wang said. "I just want some cheesecake."

With files from Jake Costello and The Early Edition.

This story is part of a series called "Get in Line" which airs on CBC's The Early Edition on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

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