The Cheesecake Factory defies all odds

Despite doing everything wrong, the Cheesecake Factory prevailed.

If you’ve ever eaten an entire loaf of brown bread while flipping through a menu the size of a small novel, you know the Cheesecake Factory.

The Cheesecake Factory defies all odds

First opened in 1978 in Beverly Hills, the restaurant now has 211 North American locations and consistently ranks as a customer favorite. And it’s seeing record revenues despite doing arguably everything wrong, per Vox.

Restaurant rebel

The rules for a successful restaurant are simple: minimize everything. Labor, ingredients, and menu offerings are often cut to scale successfully.

Meanwhile, the Cheesecake Factory:

  • Has 250+ items on the menu
  • Makes its food on-site from scratch
  • Strives for a lavish, in-person dining experience

During the pandemic…

… that spelled danger for the chain. The company furloughed 41k hourly workers and was charged by the SEC for failing to disclose it was bleeding out $6m in cash per week.

But Cheesecake pivoted its efforts to delivery, rehiring the majority of its employees to sling carbs to couch-bound customers.

Still cheesin’

Nevertheless, the Cheesecake Factory bounced back. The company reported record revenue of $769m in July 2021, and topped that with $832.6m in Q2 of 2022, despite inflation and reduced consumer spending.

Even more shocking: The restaurant’s most popular dish isn’t cheesecake at all. It’s fettuccine alfredo, which is ordered 200k+ times every month.

Topics: Restaurants

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