Cheddar’s is a casual dining neighborhood-style restaurant in the United States. The establishment is a multi-concept “classic American” restaurant that serves a variety of American food, such as burgers, chicken, steaks, seafood, salads, and deserts. The restaurants also have a full bar. The chain strives to provide great service with staff members who are passionate, genuine and welcoming to its guests. The establishment is said to put all its time and energy into preparing its food from scratch. It invests in preparing each and every recipe the right way and does not take any shortcuts.
The establishment prides itself in providing fresh meals for its customers. The restaurant is said to have twice as many cooks as other restaurants to serve the purpose of preparing these fresh meals. The restaurant uses simple, honest, and natural ingredients with “scratch-made” recipes that are prepared with great care and time. There is constant chopping, stirring, sautéing, and whisking that goes into the preparation of each meal. The restaurant starts its slow-cooked meats early in the morning. Cheddar’s strives to provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere where family and friends can gather to enjoy their fresh and delicious meals.
History
Cheddar’s Casual Café, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers. The founders, Good and Rogers, believed in preparing and cooking fresh meals for their customers. The company is based in Irving, Texas. The very first restaurant location was in Arlington, Texas. Brazos Private Equity Partners bought the restaurant in 2003. The chain rapidly expanded to 55 stores. Brazos sold the chain to Oak Investment Partners and Catterton Partners in 2006. In 2007, Cheddar’s appointed Kelly C. Baltes as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Cheddars has over 130 locations in various states within the U.S. Examples of such locations are: Arlington, Bedford, Grand Prairie, Irving, Dallas, and Fort Worth in Texas; Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Tampa, Clearwater, Pinnellas Park, Wellington, Orlando, Sanford, and West Melbourne in Florida; McDonough and Pooler in Georgia; Charlotte and Gastonia in South Carolina; Chattanooga, Memphis, and Germantown in Tennessee; Greeneville, North Carolina; Wichita, Kansas; Chandler, Arizona; Brandywine, Maryland; and Fairview Heights, Illinois.
Aside from providing customers with tasty and fresh meals, the establishment prides itself in providing a warm and inviting ambiance and taking care of its guests. In consideration of providing outstanding service so that customers are provided with a memorable dining experience, the establishment strives to provide a dynamic and rewarding atmosphere for its employees. The chain provides its staff with opportunities for recognition, growth and advancement. The goal is to ensure that its employees, including its service, culinary, restaurant support, and management team members, are as appreciated as its guests.
Cheddars has received favorable ratings over the years. Zagat ranked the restaurant as the nation’s No. 1 full-service restaurant chain as well as Top Overall American Cuisine, Top Rated Food, and Top Rated Décor and Facilities in 2012. In both its 2012 and 2009 restaurant surveys, Consumer Reports named Cheddar’s number one in the Pub Style or Grill Category. In the years 2011, 2012, and 2013, the establishment received the top ranking for value, likelihood to return, and likelihood to tell others, in Nation’s Restaurant News/WD Partners’ Consumer Picks Edition.
Review
The standard hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. from Sundays to Thursdays, and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Neither reservations nor call-ahead seating are accepted. This makes it harder for the restaurant to accommodate larger crowds and the wait times can be a bit long. The service is generally good and the restaurants are fairly clean. The menu consists of Appetizers, Salads, Soups, Burgers, Sandwiches, Favorites, Classics, Steaks, Ribs, Combinations, and Sides. There is a “Lighter Side” menu that provides entrees under 575 calories. There is also a kids menu for children aged 12 and under, as well as a dessert and drinks menu.
The Appetizers are priced between $4 and $9 and consist of Chips and Homemade Queso, Wisconsin Cheese Bites, Loaded Potato Skins, Ultimate Nachos, Chicken Fajita Quesadilla, Santa Fe Spinach Dip, Homemade Onion Rings, Texas Cheese Fries, Chicken Tender Basket, and Triple Treat Sampler. The Salads are priced between $7 and $8 and include the Chicken Caesar, Asian, Crispy Chicken, and Grilled Chicken Pecan Salads. The Soups are served in a cup or a bowl and are priced between $3 and $4. There is the Chicken Tortilla Soup and the Baked Potato Soup.
The Lighter Side menu is between $7 and $9. This menu includes the Grilled Baja Chicken, the Sweet Heat Chicken and Shrimp, the Lemon Pepper Whitefish, and the Citrus Miso Glazed Salmon. The Favorites consist of a wide array of selections, such as the Vegetable Plate, the Chicken Fried Steak, the Baked Spasagna, the Key West Chicken and Shrimp, and the New Orleans Pasta. The Favorites are priced between $6 and $10. The Classics consist of fish and chicken dishes and are priced between $7 and $11. The Combinations are priced between $10 and $15 and consist of various pairings of steak, ribs, chicken tenders, and shrimp, served with two sides.
The Sandwiches are priced between $7 and $8 and include the Buffalo Chicken Wrapper, the Monte Cristo, the Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, the Cheddar’s Club, and the Philly Cheesesteak. The Burgers are served as half-pound burgers and consist of the Original Hamburger, Bacon Cheeseburger, Smokehouse Burger, and Jalapeno Burger. The burgers are also priced between $7 and $8. Sides are generally between $2 and $3, and include Mac and Cheese, Steamed Fresh Broccoli, Buttered Off-the Cob Corn, French Fries, Loaded Baked Potato, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Black Beans, Green Beans, Red Beans and Rice, Fresh Apple and Yogurt Medley, Broccoli Cheese Casserole, Freshly Made Casserole, and Sweet Baby Carrots. The burgers are a customer favorite. Overall the food is decent and customers seem to enjoy their meals.