'Cheesecakegate': Woman's flat birthday cheesecake order goes viral on social media
A Colorado mother's disappointing birthday cheesecake order recently turned into a viral social media sensation that has since been dubbed "Cheesecakegate."
Claire Johnstone, who said she recently moved to Colorado, shared a post on Threads on May 8 after ordering a cheesecake for her daughter's birthday from a local baker recommended in a neighborhood group, whom she declined to identify.
"My daughter requested a cheesecake for her birthday," Johnstone wrote. "We just moved to the area so I asked on the neighborhood page for recommendations, and a ton of people raved about a local mom in my neighborhood who makes cheesecakes people are 'still dreaming about.' So I placed an order."
Johnstone then shared several images of the berry-topped cheesecake she ultimately received, which appeared flatter than a typical cheesecake, measuring around 1 inch tall at its thickest point, according to one photo that included a picture of the dessert next to a measuring tape.
"Y'all. For FIFTY dollars, this is what I got," she wrote.
The post quickly gained traction online, with social media users joking about the dessert's unusually flat appearance and tagging videos on the subject with the hashtag #cheesecakegate.
In the comments of Johnstone's Threads post, one person wrote, "The measuring tape had me cackling."
Even celebrity pastry chef and Food Network star Duff Goldman weighed in, joking, "I hate this cheesecake."
Johnstone later shared a TikTok video further detailing what happened.
"As you can see, the raspberries are actually taller than the cheesecake," she said in the video.
Johnstone told "Good Morning America" she was surprised when she first saw the cake.
"I noticed that it was very small and very flat and just... it wasn't very attractive," she said in an interview that aired on "GMA" on Thursday. "I kind of looked at my mom, and I looked at [my] husband, and we just went on with putting candles on it, which was kind of sad, because the candles were, like, three times as tall as the cake."
The viral frenzy eventually caught the attention of The Cheesecake Factory, which joined the conversation on Threads, posting, "Wait, why are people talking about us on Threads."
The restaurant chain then shared an image of one of its famous cheesecakes next to a measuring tape, indicating the dessert was around 4 inches tall.
"Just saying," it joked in the caption.
The Cheesecake Factory later sent Johnstone a $100 gift card, according to Johnstone.
"They said, you know, 'We just want to make sure your daughter has a good cheesecake, and also happy Belated Mother's Day,'" she said.
Johnstone told "GMA" she had requested a refund for the original cheesecake through Venmo, but the baker declined. She said she is letting the situation go, now that she has a cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory in her future.
