The Cheesecake Factory
Encyclopedia
The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is a restaurant
company in the United States
. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities and licenses two limited menu bakery cafes under The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe mark to another foodservice operator.
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 cheesecake
s.
The company used to operate one self-service, limited-menu express foodservice operation under The Cheesecake Factory Express marque inside the DisneyQuest
family entertainment center in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
. Its cheesecakes and other baked goods can also be found in the cafes of many Barnes & 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.
On January 25, 2011 Cheesecake Factory decided to expand to the Middle East after a deal with the Kuwaiti company M.H. Alshaya Co.
.
According to the company's website, the Cheesecake Factory had its beginnings with Oscar and Evelyn Overton.
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 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 feet (65 m²) store that bore the name "The Cheesecake Factory."
Evelyn would bake and manage the office while Oscar worked in sales and building new accounts.
The Overtons realized they needed a larger bakery, which they opened in 1975.
In 1978, David founded The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, which made Evelyn's cheesecakes even more famous.
asked David Overton to create an upscale casual restaurant for the Venetian. After traveling to Europe to study the cuisine, architecture, design and decor of Italian trattorias, French bistros, and the grand cafes and pastry shops of Vienna
, Overton created the Grand Lux Cafe, which, according to the Grand Lux's website, merges the luxury of European cafes with the sensibilities of an all-American restaurant. The floors and tabletops are all-marble, and the glass fixtures are hand-blown, and intricate mosaics grace each location. The Cafe offers, in addition to European-style food, cuisine from cultures including Thai, Malaysian, and Caribbean
.
Today the company operates thirteen Grand Lux Cafe restaurants in Arizona
(Fashion Square
in Scottsdale
), California
(Beverly Center in Los Angeles
), Colorado
(Park Meadows Center in Lone Tree
), Florida
(Aventura Mall
in Aventura
, in Jacksonville, at The St. Johns Town Center, Sawgrass Mills
in Sunrise
, and Town Center Mall
in Boca Raton
), Illinois
(Michigan Avenue
in Chicago
), Nevada
(The Venetian and The Palazzo
both in Las Vegas
), New Jersey
(Westfield Garden State Plaza
in Paramus
), New York
(Roosevelt Field in East Garden City
), and Texas
(The Galleria
in Dallas and the Centre at Post Oak in Houston).
The Grand Lux also places particular emphasis on the on-premise bakery found at each Grand Lux Cafe, which are baked to order. Lunch specials are served daily until 5:00pm, and special breakfast selections are served Saturdays and Sundays until 2:00pm.
. The restaurant features many Asian cuisines. However, David Overton excluded Chinese and Japanese cuisines, as these are served at the Grand Lux and Cheesecake Factory restaurants. Depending on the feedback from the initial location, the Cheesecake Factory LLC may choose to open a second location in Las Vegas.
The Cheesecake Factory has been called the "worst family restaurant in America" due to its large portion sizes. The average sandwich at the restaurant contains 1,400 calories.
works in the Pasadena, California
branch of the Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant serves as one of the show's main recurring locations.
In the Nickelodeon
TV show iCarly
, the Cheesecake Factory is often parodied as "The Cheesecake Warehouse".
In an episode of Family Guy
, Stewie reads one of Joe Swanson's Facebook
statuses: "Hitting The Cheesecake Factory again. So amped."
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
company in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company operates 165 upscale, casual, full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory mark, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe mark and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen mark. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities and licenses two limited menu bakery cafes under The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe mark to another foodservice operator.
David M. Overton
David M. Overton
David M. Overton is the founder, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Cheesecake Factory, Inc., the ninth largest restaurant company in the United States measured by market capitalization....
, the company's founder, opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of offering an eclectic menu, big portions, and signature cheesecake
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
s.
The company used to operate one self-service, limited-menu express foodservice operation under The Cheesecake Factory Express marque inside the DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest is an "indoor interactive theme park" located in Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It is housed in a five-story, windowless building...
family entertainment center in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake....
. Its cheesecakes and other baked goods can also be found in the cafes of many Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
book stores.
In addition, it operates a bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
production facility in Calabasas, California
Calabasas, California
Calabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city...
, 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
Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount is the name of:*Rocky Mount, Alabama*Rocky Mount, Georgia*Rocky Mount, Missouri*Rocky Mount, North Carolina**Rocky Mount **Rocky Mount Athletic Complex**Rocky Mount High School**Rocky Mount Instruments...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in March 2006. The Rocky Mount plant handles the distribution for the eastern half of the United States.
On January 25, 2011 Cheesecake Factory decided to expand to the Middle East after a deal with the Kuwaiti company M.H. Alshaya Co.
M.H. Alshaya Co.
M.H. Alshaya , is one of the largest retail companies in the Middle East.Alshaya currently manages over 55 international brands and owns and operates 2,000 outlets in 15 countries across the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, central and eastern Europe and Turkey, employing approximately 20,000...
.
History
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
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in the late 1940s
1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
, but later gave it up in order to raise her two children, David and Renee. She continued to supply cakes to several local restaurants, however, through a kitchen in her basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
.
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 feet (65 m²) store that bore the name "The Cheesecake Factory."
Evelyn would bake and manage the office while Oscar worked in sales and building new accounts.
The Overtons realized they needed a larger bakery, which they opened in 1975.
In 1978, David founded The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, which made Evelyn's cheesecakes even more famous.
Grand Lux Cafe
The owners of The Venetian in Las VegasLas Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
asked David Overton to create an upscale casual restaurant for the Venetian. After traveling to Europe to study the cuisine, architecture, design and decor of Italian trattorias, French bistros, and the grand cafes and pastry shops of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Overton created the Grand Lux Cafe, which, according to the Grand Lux's website, merges the luxury of European cafes with the sensibilities of an all-American restaurant. The floors and tabletops are all-marble, and the glass fixtures are hand-blown, and intricate mosaics grace each location. The Cafe offers, in addition to European-style food, cuisine from cultures including Thai, Malaysian, and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Today the company operates thirteen Grand Lux Cafe restaurants in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(Fashion Square
Scottsdale Fashion Square
Scottsdale Fashion Square is the largest shopping mall in Arizona and the American Southwest, with approximately 2 million square feet of retail space, and is among the top 30 largest malls in the country. It is one of the top 10 most profitable malls in the country with over $740 sales per square...
in Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
), California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(Beverly Center in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
), Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
(Park Meadows Center in Lone Tree
Lone Tree, Colorado
Lone Tree is a Home Rule Municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,873 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lone Tree is located at . It is on the northern border of Douglas County, and directly adjacent to Arapahoe County...
), Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(Aventura Mall
Aventura Mall
The Aventura Mall is an upscale super-regional shopping mall in Aventura, Florida, a northern suburb of Miami. It is the largest conventional shopping mall in Florida, having a gross leasable area of , and is the fifth largest shopping center in the United States. The mall has three floors of...
in Aventura
Aventura, Florida
Aventura is a planned, suburban city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, "What an adventure this is...
, in Jacksonville, at The St. Johns Town Center, Sawgrass Mills
Sawgrass Mills
Sawgrass Mills is a shopping mall operated by the Simon Property Group, in Sunrise, Florida, a city in Broward County. With of retail selling space, it is the sixth largest mall in the United States, and the second largest in Florida...
in Sunrise
Sunrise, Florida
-Overview:Sunrise is a city in southwestern Broward County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated in 1961 by Norman Johnson – a developer whose World Famous Upside-Down House attracted buyers to what was then a remote area...
, and Town Center Mall
Town Center at Boca Raton
Town Center at Boca Raton is an upscale super-regional shopping center in Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida...
in Boca Raton
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
), Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(Michigan Avenue
Michigan Avenue (Chicago)
Michigan Avenue is a major north-south street in Chicago which runs at 100 east south of the Chicago River and at 132 East north of the river from 12628 south to 950 north in the Chicago street address system...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
), Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
(The Venetian and The Palazzo
The Palazzo
The Palazzo is a luxury hotel and casino resort situated between Wynn and The Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. It is the tallest completed building in Nevada...
both in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
), New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(Westfield Garden State Plaza
Westfield Garden State Plaza
Westfield Garden State Plaza is an upscale shopping mall in Paramus, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and managed by the Westfield Group and located at the intersection of Route 4 and Route 17 near the Garden State Parkway...
in Paramus
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(Roosevelt Field in East Garden City
East Garden City, New York
East Garden City is a census-designated place in the northeast part of the Town of Hempstead, in the central part of Nassau County, New York, along the Hempstead/North Hempstead town line. The population was 6,028 at the 2010 census...
), and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(The Galleria
Galleria Dallas
The Galleria Dallas, an upscale shopping mall and mixed-use development located in north Dallas, Texas , was developed by long time owner Hines Interests in 1982. The mall is modeled after a similar Hines development, the Houston Galleria, which opened in 1970...
in Dallas and the Centre at Post Oak in Houston).
The Grand Lux also places particular emphasis on the on-premise bakery found at each Grand Lux Cafe, which are baked to order. Lunch specials are served daily until 5:00pm, and special breakfast selections are served Saturdays and Sundays until 2:00pm.
RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen
RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen features an Asian-fusion inspired menu within a contemporary setting. The first location opened on June 19, 2008 at Century City in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The restaurant features many Asian cuisines. However, David Overton excluded Chinese and Japanese cuisines, as these are served at the Grand Lux and Cheesecake Factory restaurants. Depending on the feedback from the initial location, the Cheesecake Factory LLC may choose to open a second location in Las Vegas.
Online
Cheesecake Factory Restaurants, Inc., is its online venture service; which offers cheesecakes delivered to customers deeply chilled and packed individually in a Styrofoam cooler with dry ice.Controversy
The Cheesecake Factory is accused of mistreating its employees. There is at least one lawsuit against the company in violation of federal labor law by engaging in illegal pay practices regarding uniforms, off the clock work, calculation of overtime pay and other related wage and hour violations.The Cheesecake Factory has been called the "worst family restaurant in America" due to its large portion sizes. The average sandwich at the restaurant contains 1,400 calories.
Popular Culture
The character Penny in the TV sitcom The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
works in the Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
branch of the Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant serves as one of the show's main recurring locations.
In the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
TV show iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
, the Cheesecake Factory is often parodied as "The Cheesecake Warehouse".
In an episode of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Stewie reads one of Joe Swanson's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
statuses: "Hitting The Cheesecake Factory again. So amped."
External links
- Official website
- Grand Lux Café website
- Cheesecake Factory Analysis on Wikinvest
- RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen