The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporatedis an Americanrestaurantcompany and distributor ofcheesecakesbased in the United States. It operates 348 full-service restaurants: 215 under the Cheesecake Factory brand, 42 under the North Italia brand, and 91 under other brands. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities—inCalabasas, California, andRocky Mount, North Carolina—and licenses two bakery-based menus for other foodservice operators under the Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe marque. Its cheesecakes and other baked goods can also be found in the cafes of manyBarnes & Noblestores.
David M. Overton, the company's founder, opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant inBeverly Hills, California, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of featuring an eclectic menu, large portions, and signature cheesecakes.In 2020,Fortuneranked the Cheesecake Factory at number 12 on their Fortune List of the Top 100 Companies to Work For in 2020 based on an employee survey of satisfaction.Additionally, The Cheesecake Factory’s average unit volume consistently leads the casual restaurant industry.
Evelyn Overton, inspired by a cheesecake recipe from a Detroit newspaper, made a cheesecake for her husband's employer in the 1940s. The cheesecake was well-received, and subsequently led her to open a small cheesecake bakery inDetroit, Michigan, in the late 1950s. She closed the bakery to raise her children, but continued supplying cheesecakes to local restaurants from her basement kitchen. In 1967, Evelyn's son David M. Overton left Detroit to attendHastings College of Lawin San Francisco, but in 1968, decided to be a drummer, performing with theBilly Roberts Blues Band.In 1971, David convinced his parents to relocate to Los Angeles to open a commercial bakery.In 1972, they moved to theWoodland Hillsarea ofLos Angeleswhere they opened the Cheesecake Factory Bakery, in which they produced cheesecakes and other desserts for local restaurants.
In 1978, Evelyn's son David opened the Cheesecake Factory, a small salad-and-sandwich restaurant inBeverly Hillsthat sold ten varieties of cheesecakes on a one-page menu.In 1983, he opened a second restaurant inMarina del Rey. By 1987, the Beverly Hills location had expanded into a 78-seat restaurant and was experiencing great financial success. This led to the opening of a third, larger location inRedondo Beach, which was eventually renovated into a 300-seat, 21,000-square-foot (2,000 m) location. By the end of the 1980s, the Cheesecake Factory's one-page menu had expanded, and the restaurant offered additional fast-food and short-order items.
The 1990s saw the opening of the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant outside ofSouthern California. The new restaurant was located inWashington, D.C.The Cheesecake Factory was incorporated in 1992and went public in September 1993. David Overton planned to open 3–4 units a year to generate a 25% yearly increase in sales.
The company began changing its menu twice a year and adding steaks, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. The company continued to open new restaurants and by 1995 was ranked 11th in the United States.As of April 2013, the Cheesecake Factory operated 162 restaurants under the Cheesecake Factory name in 36 states.Plaza Las AméricasinSan Juan, Puerto Rico, opened its first Cheesecake Factory on August 28, 2013.
The company used to operate oneself-service, limited-menuexpress foodservice operation under the Cheesecake Factory marque insideDisneyQuestatDisney SpringsinWalt Disney World ResortinLake Buena Vista, Florida. It opened in 1998 and closed in 2017.
The Cheesecake Factory has expanded into international markets by licensing agreements for other companies to operate franchises and corporate ownership. The first store outside the United States was opened atThe Dubai Mallin August 2012 as a franchise via a licensing agreement.
On January 25, 2011, the company expanded into theMiddle Eastin a partnership withKuwaitiretailfranchisingcompanyM.H. Alshaya Co.The 300-seat restaurant opened on August 16, 2012, at The Dubai Mall. This is the Cheesecake Factory's first location outside the United States.
In May 2014, the Cheesecake Factory announced that it would open the first Cheesecake Factory in East Asia. The first East Asian Cheesecake Factory opened inDisneytownin Pudong, Shanghai, China, on June 16, 2016.
Also, in 2014, the first Cheesecake Factory in Mexico opened its doors in Guadalajara.
As of May 2018, the Cheesecake Factory has eleven restaurants in the Middle East: four in Dubai (Dubai Mall,Mall of Emirates,Jumeirah Beach ResidenceandDubai Festival City Mall), three in Kuwait (Arabella, Sidra, andThe Avenues—which was the 160th Cheesecake Factory opening),two in Saudi Arabia (RiyadhandJeddah), and lastly one in the Yas Mall and one in The Galleria in Abu Dhabi.On December 1, 2015, the Cheesecake Factory opened its eighth Middle East branch at the Verdun Shopping Center inBeirut,Lebanon. Many of the Cheesecake Factory management attended the opening, including managers from the US and Dubai. The Cheesecake Factory also made its first appearance inDoha, Qatar, by opening in theMall of Qatarand further opened two more branches in Villaggio andDoha Festival City.
There are Cheesecake Factories inParque DeltaandCentro Santa Fe, Mexico City.
On April 12, 2017, the company announced it would expand intoCanada.In November 2017, the first Canadian location opened atYorkdale Shopping CentreinToronto, Ontario.
In May 2017, a Hong Kong store opened inHarbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui.
As of the end of 2021, the Cheesecake Factory is open for business in Canada, USA, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Mexico, the Chinese Mainland, and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
On December 4, 2020, theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commissionresolved charges brought against the Cheesecake Factory for misleading investors during theCOVID-19 pandemic; the company paid a $125,000 fine without admitting the findings in the order.
The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe operates two bakery production facilities in Calabasas Hills, California, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and licenses two bakery-based menus to other food service operators. This division operates inNorth America,Europe,Asiaand theMiddle East. The Cheesecake Factory Bakery has appointedSchengen Desserts B.V. as their master distributor for Europe.
David Overton designed the Grand Lux Cafe, an upscale restaurant forThe Venetianhotel andcasinoinLas Vegas.The restaurant is modeled after Italian, French, and Austrian styles. The Cafe offers, in addition to American and European-style food,Thai,Malaysian,Caribbeancuisine, and others. The Cheesecake Factory operates seven Grand Lux Cafe restaurants located inFlorida,Nevada,New Jersey,New York, andTexas. A location in Chicago closed December 24, 2023.
Each Grand Lux Cafe features an on-site bakery that produces a selection of signature bake-to-order desserts (up to 30 minutes) and a full-service craft bar.
RockSugar Southeast Asian Kitchen was a contemporaryAsian-fusionrestaurant that opened on June 19, 2008, atCentury Cityin Los Angeles. David Overton excluded Chinese and Japanese cuisines from the menu, as these are served at the Grand Lux and Cheesecake Factory restaurants. It closed on December 31, 2020, at least in part to theCOVID-19 pandemic.A second location opened in Oakbrook, Illinois, in November 2017,but closed in December 2019.
On July 31, 2019, the Cheesecake Factory announced it had reached an agreement to buyPhoenix-based Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC) for $308 million in cash at closing and another $45 million due over the next four years.
FRC started in 1998 when 21-year-old founder Sam Fox launched his first restaurant concept Wildflower (unrelated to another Arizona restaurant Wildflower Bread Company) and has since launched additional restaurants in differing categories including North Italia, a specialty restaurant known for pasta, pizza, and other Italian foods. North Italia alone currently has locations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Other concepts from the FRC portfolio include: Flower Child, Culinary Dropout, Blanco, The Henry, Zinburger, The Arrogant Butcher, Doughbird, Fly Bye, The Greene House, Olive & Ivy, and Pushing Daisies.
The Cheesecake Factory dining menu includes steaks, chops, burgers, chicken, seafood, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, soups, and salads in various cuisines. In addition to its regular dining menu, the company offers a lower-calorie menu that includes salads, burgers, sandwiches, and small plates.The brunch menu is offered on Saturdays and Sundays and includes pancakes, waffles, French toast, and eggs.
The dessert menu offers 37 cheesecake flavors and cakes,milkshakes, and specialty and ice cream desserts.Per a company spokesperson, the restaurant sells almost 35 million slices of cheesecake annually.
The more than 250 menu items are all made from scratch to order.
The Cheesecake Factory has been criticized for featuring large servings of high-calorie and high-fat foods. For these reasons, the chain was dubbed the "worst family restaurant in America" for 2010 byMen's Healthmagazine.The average sandwich at the restaurant contains 1,400 calories.In 2013, theCenter for Science in the Public Interestgave a better understanding toward some of the food found at the Cheesecake Factory, including the "Crispy Chicken Costoletta" that has more calories (2,610) than a 12-piece bucket offried chickenfromKFCand the Cheesecake Factory's "Bistro Shrimp Pasta" dish, which had more calories than any otherentréefrom a national chain restaurant at 3,120 calories, with 89 grams of saturated fat.TheUnited States Department of Agriculture'sCenter for Nutrition Policy and Promotionstates in its dietary guidelines that a typical female adult should consume about 2,000 calories (males 2,500)and no more than 10% of saturated fat per day.In an attempt to offer healthier, lower-calorie meal options, the Cheesecake Factory created a "Skinnylicious" menu that features a variety of cocktails, salads, appetizers, and specialty dishes such as lemon-garlic shrimp and grilled salmon.
On March 18, 2020, Overton informed his landlords that his restaurants would be unable to pay rent for April due to significant financial losses as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemicbut would resume paying rent as soon as possible. Following the close, the restaurants reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.