The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. () is a restaurant company in the United States. The company operates 161 dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory name in areas in the United States. Cheesecake Factory restaurants are characterized by extensive menus, custom décor, and large portions. David M. Overton, the company's founder, opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of offering an eclectic menu, big portions, and signature cheesecakes,^[1] and the chain became a multi-million-dollar sales performer. The company went public in 1992, and was the first restaurant chain to reach a billion dollars in revenues with fewer than 100 restaurants in operation.

Concept

The Cheesecake Factory at the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack, New York.

Its extensive menu includes over 200 selections, its featured dishes include Chicken Madeira, Miso Salmon, Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, and The Factory Burger. They have 50 different cheesecakes and desserts.

The Cheesecake Factory will ship their cheesecakes throughout the U.S. via Federal Express.^[1]

History

According to the company's website, the Cheesecake Factory had its beginnings with Oscar and Evelyn Overton, who dreamed of opening their own business, and more specifically with Evelyn, a skilled cook with a cheesecake recipe much liked by her friends. Evelyn first decided to open a business after making a cheesecake for her husband's employer in 1949. Evelyn opened a small cheesecake shop in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1940s, but later gave it up in order to raise her two children, David and Renee. She continued to supply cakes to several of the best local restaurants, however, through a kitchen in her basement. By 1971, their children were now grown, and Oscar and Evelyn moved the business to Los Angeles, using the last of their savings to open a 700 square foot store that bore the name "The Cheesecake Factory." Evelyn would bake and manage the office while Oscar worked and sales and building new accounts. The early years of their new company were sometimes difficult, but as the company's reputation and sales grew, the Overtons realized they needed a larger bakery, which they opened in 1975, at which point their business expanded dramatically, with Evelyn creating over 20 varieties of cheesecake and other desserts for hundreds of accounts from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and even out of state. In 1978, David founded The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, which made Evelyn's cheesecakes even more famous. ^[2][3]

Today the company also operates one self-service, limited-menu express foodservice operation under The Cheesecake Factory Express marque inside the DisneyQuest family entertainment center in Orlando, Florida. Its cheesecakes and other baked goods can also be found in the cafes of many Barnes and Noble book stores. In addition, it operates a bakery production facility in Calabasas, California, which produces baked desserts and other products for its restaurants and other foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors. A second bakery was opened in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in March 2006. The Rocky Mount plant handles the distribution for the eastern half of the United States. ^[4] According to their website, The Cheesecake Factory does not provide nutritional information for its menu selections.^[5]

In July 2008, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a class-action suit against Cheesecake Factory Inc. in U.S. District Court in Arizona. The suit claims that three male victims were harassed in the Chandler, Arizona restaurant by a group of males who allegedly grabbed and forced the victims to engage in simulated sex with their clothes on. The commission attorney also stated that the managers of that restaurant were made aware of the situation and did not attempt to resolve the issue or discipline the offenders. The lawsuit is requesting monetary compensation for the victims along with an injunction ordering Cheesecake Factory Inc. to improve its policies and training programs. ^[6]

Grand Lux Cafe

The Grand Lux Cafe at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey.

Today the company operates thirteen Grand Lux Cafe restaurants in Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Sunrise, Florida (Sawgrass Mills); Miami (Aventura Mall); Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Long Island (Garden City, New York); Paramus, New Jersey; Boca Raton, Florida; Denver (Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree); Scottsdale, Arizona, at Scottsdale Fashion Square,^[7] and Las Vegas The Palazzo.

The Grand Lux also places particular emphasis on the on-premise bakery found at each Grand Lux Cafe, which are baked to order, though they also offer baked goods at the bakery counter for take-out. Lunch specials are served daily until 5:00pm, and special breakfast selections are served Saturdays and Sundays until 2:00pm.^[8]

Online

The third concept of the Cheesecake Factory Restaurants, INC., is its online venture service; which offers cheesecakes delivered to customers in dry ice.

Rock Sugar

The fourth concept of the Cheesecake Factory Restaurants, INC. is Rock Sugar, which features an Asian-fusion inspired menu within a contemporary setting. The new restaurant recently opened its first location in California at Century City in Los Angeles. The Restaurant features many Asian cuisines. However, David Overton intentionally excluded Chinese and Japanese cuisines, as these two genres of food are served at both the Grand Lux and Cheesecake Factory restaurants. Depending on the feedback from their initial location, the Cheesecake Factory LLC® may choose to open a second location in Las Vegas. ^[9]

In popular culture

In the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the female character, Penny, is a waitress at a Cheesecake Factory location.

In the television show iCarly, the Cheesecake Factory is parodied as the Cheesecake Warehouse.

In the movie Step Brothers, Dr. Robert Doback goes out to have a drink at the Cheesecake Factory bar, were he comes home smelling like scotch and cheesecake.

References

External links

• Official website
• Grand Lux Café website

fr:The Cheesecake Factory

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