Explanation of The Legendary Cheesecake Factory menu (2023)

The Cheesecake Factory menu is over 20 pages long and contains 250 items. Apparently the menu was written by someone hungry for everything they could think of but couldn't put their finger on what they really wanted at the time. The dishes, mostly sandwiches and pasta and of course cheesecake, have names and descriptions. Occasionally, a female name precedes the actual dish, indicating a personal recommendation for a fresh turkey sandwich or chicken and avocado salad from a "Sheila" or a "Renee" you've never met. Burgers aren't burgers, they're Glamburgers. Getting shrimp scampi along with steak Diane is known as a "factory combination."

There is something strange in the chain. The phrase "The Cheesecake Factory" alone conjures up the image of a humble working-class dessert restaurant, yet each Cheesecake Factory resembles what would happen if a time-travelling Italian artisan drew ancient Egypt from memory. Somewhere between the chicken samosas, the Skinnylicious section and the Americana cheeseburger Glamburger®, between the soaring columns, the crowded booths and the free soda refills, the veil between sense and nonsense, clarity and madness, and good and bad dissolves.

I'm told that's what makes The Cheesecake Factory a special place: a somber, uncompromising lack of confidence or pretense. The rules that govern regular restaurants have no power over the Cheesecake Factory. If there's a rule at The Cheesecake Factory, it's that the conventional wisdom of the restaurant industry—low cost, simple concepts, and menus under 200 items—should be ignored.

The Cheesecake Factory has been extremely successful year after year since 1978. Tens of thousands of guests flock to its 211 North American locations (the company opened its 211th location in Corpus Christi, Texas in December). In monetary terms, that equated to about $750 million in revenue each quarter in 2021 and nearly $3 billion in fiscal year 2020. The Cheesecake Factory is often referred to as one of the "FavoriteChain restaurant for dining.

And while it won hearts by delivering on the promise of cheesecake and the guarantee that there's something for everyone, it remains a case study for everything a restaurant should never do. How do you do that?

The Cheesecake Factory: No Thoughts, Just Vibes

describe clearlywhat does a cheesecake factory look likeIt can make someone who has never been in one think you are lying or trying to trick them. That's what happens when you invite someone to imagine the unimaginable. Who would expect to be able to walk from your local mall to a place where Egyptian columns are flanked by Greco-Roman accents, where mosaics contain similar glass fixturesEye of Sauron?With high ceilings, indoor palm trees, and faux wicker chairs (but somehow no fountains), it's just a factory for chaotic hauntings.

The rhyme and reason behind the restaurant's decor is that Cheesecake Factories is meant to evoke wealth and extravagance. And what better exemplifies American opulence than the rampant acquisition of things already considered wasteful anywhere but at home? All of these touches are luxury brands, features and silhouettes that come from the places rich people see on their rich people vacations. Smashing them all together, if aesthetics worked like arithmetic, should create the most elegant place ever.

Photo by Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“Our aim was to make guests feel they were getting great value for their money. We wanted to give the venue the feel of a high-end restaurant and surprise guests with relatively affordable prices.”Rick McCormack, former vice president of design at the Cheesecake Factory for more than 13 years, explained it to me. McCormack was part of the company's major expansion in the 1990s, later designing for clients such as MGM Resorts, BJ's Restaurants and Seasons 52.

The surfaces, he said, included real granite and marble, and the walls were hand-rubbed, creating a unique finish. The murals were made by traveling craftsmen and the lamps were custom made. All of these details were meant to make the place feel special to the guests who were going to a specific destination and not just another restaurant.

"We knew we were successful when we heard people came to the restaurant for special occasions: graduation dinners, birthdays, anniversaries," he told me.

As you would expect from a “special occasion” venue, the Cheesecake Factory is very popular. According to National Restaurant News, a US trade publication covering customer trends, consumers (Millennialsin particular) regularly count the Cheesecake Factory among thethe best restaurant chains, as well ashave the best environmentand theTop quality food. A triple threat restaurant chain if there ever was one.

But when you ask people what exactly they love about the Cheesecake Factory, aside from the seemingly universal appreciation for whole grain bread, the results are a bit more mixed. According to a highly unofficial poll of Cheesecake Factory enthusiasts I know, a common refrain wasn't a specific dish, but the atmosphere the Cheesecake Factory offered, which is something of a simplistic meal accessible to all ages , especially for children. (Also important: variety, but more on that in a moment.)

"I thought it was the pinnacle of fine dining in high school," one person told me. "A fun gift that wasn't too fancy," said another; "Not that expensive compared to most fine restaurants," said a third.

"I mean, Cheesecake Factory is the Michelin three-star chain restaurant," pastry chef and Food Network star.zac joventold me.

Young first encountered the Cheesecake Factory as a teenager in Newton, Massachusetts, at the "fancy mall" brought there by a group of friends carrying Prada handbags. I knew it was going to be a luxurious experience. Girls with Prada bags only eat at places that value their food as much as Prada bags. Almost everyone I spoke to told me that cheesecake factories, like tricky plants in good soil, only appear in "fancy" malls.

There are restaurants that have better food than the Cheesecake Factory. Many have better drinks. And yes, some have better cheesecakes. But it seems like there aren't many restaurants that can top the Cheesecake Factory.

“The Cheesecake Factory saw tremendous expansion in the '90s when millennials started finding them as kids. It allowed the brand to connect to a deeply nostalgic time in millennial life,” Hillary Dixler Canavan, restaurant editor at Eater, told me. His theory as to why the restaurant is having such a hold on Americans is that it's hugely popular with millennials.

For taxonomy purposes, Millennials are now in their late 40s, born between 1981 and 1996. They are thelargest generation in the United States, make up the majority of the labor force and are heavy consumers. Their desires drive the culture and determine the way businesses operate and what they sell. In the case of the Cheesecake Factory, millennials' fondness for the restaurant is a key part of its popularity.

The 1990s were economically prosperous for many Americans. Millennials were then teenagers and tweens (before social media and just the beginning of mass internet), and eating out and going to the malls were high points in their social routine.

For a generation that entered the workforce during the 2007 financial crisis, the idea of ​​going to the mall with friends and eating at the Cheesecake Factory is a teenage dream. Call it regression or revisionist history, but sipping bottomless sugary strawberry soda out of giant plastic cups may have been one of those moments when they felt perfectly happy.

McCormack's account agrees with Dixler Canavan's theory of nostalgia. Millennials, who flock to the Cheesecake Factory especially for special occasions, associate it with good feelings. If the restaurant is the place where you spent your parents' anniversary or your own birthday, then it is associated with happiness. Beneath the warm, gossamer-thin filter that nostalgia provides, fans of The Cheesecake Factory — especially those hardened by adulthood shaped by various financial crises, the aftermath of 9/11, climate change, and a pandemic — have a hard time not looking back at the restaurant without nostalgic sentimentality. Going there now isn't necessarily about new experiences; it's about chasing a feeling you've felt there before.

The Cheesecake Factory menu, explained

In my informal survey of Factory fans, it wasn't just the memorabilia that stood out, but the absolutely amazing variety. "It's the last restaurant where our group can't agree on a location," said one respondent, "a food court in a mall with table service."

"They have a very democratic menu," said another, adding that "there's something for everyone at The Cheesecake Factory." At over 20 pages (according to a Cheesecake Factory spokesman, the menus vary slightly by location, which is the Number of pages can change) the menu is legendary, an icon.

And browsing the original 1978 Beverly Hills map at the Cheesecake Factory is like looking at photos of a movie star before she became famous. The characteristic spiral binding is missing, just like the coladas from paradise. Ahi poke nachos would not be invented for decades. I didn't pretend I had something for everyone.

Courtesy of the Cheesecake Factory

The font (caps and serifs galore) is pretty much the same, but all the elements fit on one page, like a resume. There are only 26 items (with customization options) divided into three sections: Specialties, Salads & Cold Platters, and Sandwich Creations. Three different burgers are in the "Specials" section; They seem more comfortable in "sandwich creations," but I'm not an arbiter of lunch taxonomy.

The expansion, according to the Cheesecake Factoryorigin story,This came about due to owner David Overton's unwillingness to allow another local restaurant to compete. As he told Thrillist in 2018, "I didn't want to have another restaurant open on the same block and take my business away from me," so I started adding whatever anyone wanted to order. The more dishes (Mexican cuisine, different types of pasta) they added to the original 26, the more people responded positively.

Overton told Thrillist in the same interview that had he known more about the industry and how restaurants work, he wouldn't have made the menu so big and extensive. But what he created was the enduring legacy of the Cheesecake Factory.

“Their success rests on the fact that they offer something for everyone. A large group can go there and everyone can find something they like for a reasonable price,” McCormack, a former vice president of design, told me.

The things that everyone likes usually include cheese and carbs. Fettuccine alfredo is the most popular dish on the menu, with over 200,000 orders a month, according to a source with in-depth sales knowledge. Orders for avocado egg rolls are around 140,000 over the same period, and orders for fried macaroni and cheese are around 126,000.

"Sometimes people are looking for creativity, and sometimes they just want something delicious that isn't so intimidating," said Chef Brandon Cook, executive chef for culinary research and development (aka one of the chefs in the kitchen). .Cheesecake Factory test). "And when you have a great fettuccine alfredo and our guests tell us they love our version, we love it."

Although some foods have been on the list for over 30 years, the menu changes. Items are swapped in and out every six months. Cook was shy about what happened to my favorite dish from my youth, fried shrimp crumble (he offered the admittedly similar fried shrimp dish as an alternative), but explained that getting a new item on the menu is a long process. .

The Cheesecake Factory still takes inspiration from other restaurants, even from haute cuisine or modern cuisine. Cook explained to me that the restaurant's hugely popular fried macaroni and cheese balls were a nod and homage to French chef Alain Ducasse. "He's a big fan of the Cheesecake Factory," Cook told me.

for your free timespoon restaurant concept,Ducasse created a macaroni and cheese terrine. Cook and his team loved it not just because of its taste, but because "it was so pretty." But they understood that because it was so complex and how the guests would fare, they couldn't just imitate it. Macaroni and cheese, Cook said, isn't even on the menu right now. However, through extensive trial and error, they were able to replicate it with a Cheesecake Factory twist.

“We baked and it was super creamy. It was amazing, but we didn't get a chance to reheat it," Cook told me. “We made these balls out of necessity and breaded and fried them because we had no other way to reheat them. When it first started on the menu it was the last on sale. And now it ranks second in the appetizer category behind Avocado Egg Rolls.”

Cook's vast and adventurous culinary knowledge (he spends every morning reading trend reports and scanning Instagram to stay up to date) and the idea that the Cheesecake Factory is so popular because it's built on nostalgia and a familiar combination of carbs based feel like two different things. One pushes the restaurant forward and the other demands that the restaurant stay the same. But in reality they are much closer than it seems.

"I hope people think of us as trying to put everything America wants to eat on our menu," Cook told me. “A lot of other restaurant businesses are run by marketing departments, purchasing departments, and those are all necessary departments. But we hunt delicacies."

The idea of ​​"chasing the deliciousness" sounds about as sweet as a fried mac-and-cheese ball, but it also makes sense. Joy is neither logical nor intelligent; doesn't follow any rule book. Deliciousness can even be silly.

The Cheesecake Factory is wonderful

Lift the hood of the Cheesecake Factory and you'll see howCheesecake factory workersI'm happy to tell you, food that doesn't come out of the bottle or just throw it in the microwave.

The proteins, the sauces, the veggies, the dressings that accompany their gigantic salads, the chicken marsala and the mushrooms are all being cooked right now. If there's one part of the Cheesecake Factory that resembles an industrial machine, it's the many stations and line cooks required to prepare handcrafted food for each meal. Ironically, these are just foods that aren't freshly cookedcheesecake and baked goods; They are made and shipped in an external bakery.

“Their quality, execution and consistency across the country is always the same. And that's a compliment! It's impeccable," says Young, Food Network star and pastry chef. "The sauces, the dressings, everything is homemade. You don't get that level of consistency anywhere else."

Sheer work is something Cook, the current Test Chef, is intimately familiar with. When he started at The Cheesecake Factory in February 2000, he was a line chef. On his first day on the job, he said, he received a "two-inch" thick recipe book, a tome he assumed was meant for the entire restaurant. It would be a daunting task to memorize, but doable. To Cook's chagrin, it was just the recipe book for his special unit, the pan dish station.

He trained for three weeks before being allowed to cook.

"Only my station had five cooks who could work with only 16 burners," Cook said of his first experience on the line. "It was a guy who called the guests and set the dishes. There was one guy who finished and garnished all the dishes and three guys just cooked. That was just one season."

Acting in this complicated symphony was daunting for Cook. Based on previous experiences at a Boston restaurant near Fenway Park, he figured he was used to the volume. When the Red Sox were playing, this fever would send the kitchen into a frenzy. But it still didn't prepare him for the greatness of the Cheesecake Factory. The fridge, he said, "was like Oz."

Efficiency combined with the large number of employees allows the restaurant to present a menu that includes a section containing “Appetizer Salads”, “Appetizers” and “Small dishes and snacks”, a section completely different from the section different, the "salads". , flatbread pizza and lunch." Here's how to prepare a menu that has yellowfin tuna on crispy rice sharing a section with a quesadilla and fried macaroni and cheese.

To say that making things from scratch is unusual in restaurant culture, especially chain restaurant culture, is an understatement. Squeezing ranch dressing out of a bottle or opening a bag of soup and reheating it is much easier, cheaper, and quicker than doing it yourself. With every freshly prepared dish there is also the risk of ruining a dish and thus dissatisfied guests.

"Think of it like a factory: the more touchpoints you have, the more opportunities you have to mess things up," Young told me. "Even for training as a line chef there is a lot of time."

With all of these potential sources of error, it's no joke to change this iconic wide menu. Dishes have to be reproducible over and over again, so Cook and his team have to be careful with the ingredients. “Since new items aren't just about opening a bag or opening a box or just figuring out this or that, we have to put a lot of emphasis on training and making our staff feel comfortable preparing the dish beforehand we offer it on the menu.”

Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

It's not just that the Cheesecake Factory cooks homemade meals for guests every day from their menu of over 250 items, which in itself is a daunting task. But it also replicates it over and over again, year after year, in more than 200 restaurants.

"I have a deep love for chain restaurants, but cheesecake is the pinnacle. And the more experience I have in the hospitality industry, the more it amazes me that they can deliver day in and day out,” added Young.

Common sense for restaurant success is actually the opposite of everything the Cheesecake Factory does. Minimize work, minimize ingredients, minimize everything. Restaurants are expensive to run, and cutting down surplus helps them survive. Food service is all about smaller margins and the usual refrain (which should be familiar to anyone who's seen an episode ofnightmares in the kitchen) should simplify everything.

The company's mammoth menu, commitment to home-cooking, and close association with a sumptuous personal dining experience almost became its undoing in the first year of the pandemic. Like many restaurants, the Cheesecake Factory was incredibly affected when people were not allowed to eat in the restaurants. The Cheesecake Factory was shut down41,000 of its hourly workersin March 2020. In the same year, theSEC loaded and donewith the company over "misleading disclosures" about how it didn't admit to losing $6 million in cash a week during the pandemic.

The company's salvation was that it focused on delivery, turned its highly skilled servers into cashiers, and so on.In a securities presentation in August, said it had reinstated "the majority" of furloughed employees.

Last July, the companyreported record sales,$769 million in Q2 2021 andimproved on itat $832.6 million in the second quarter of 2022. It's hard to imagine the company saying it could have been any higher had it not been tempered by inflation and a lack of consumer spending.

“It totally defies the logic of the restaurant. And that's not to say that everything they do is completely unique, it's that they do all of these things at the same time," Dixler Canavan, editor of Eater, told me. "And I think the fact that it worked for them suggests they cracked the code."

The Cheesecake Factory breaks the rules in ways most of us wouldn't believe. It's practically comical: This thing that shouldn't exist, especially in a notoriously unforgiving industry, kind of exists. Better, fancier, more consistent restaurants have bitten the dust, but this mall-girl-approved Byzantine extravaganza with a pseudo-industrial name just keeps going. At The Cheesecake Factory, "something for everyone" doesn't just mean a hilariously exhaustive menu served amid America's most chaotic mix of high-low aesthetics; it also means a homemade blend of comfort, nostalgia and deliciousness that can't help but work.

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