The Cheesecake Factory is a large and popular restaurant chain in the United States. It is also a distributor of cheesecakes. The restaurant provides upscale yet casual dining for its customers. The establishment first started out with humble beginnings but has expanded over the years with locations both within the United States and in other parts of the world. The restaurant has a warm, inviting atmosphere, with distinctive décor. The food items are all hand-made with fresh ingredients. This establishment has something for everyone, as is evident by its menu. The store prides itself in being a leader in menu innovation. It changes its broad menus at least twice each year to add new dishes and sometimes, entirely new menu categories.

The restaurant is known for its extensive and diverse menu. The chain provides and a wide variety of food items with numerous options for customers. The menu is approximately eighteen pages and includes over 250 food item selections, as well as over fifty different types of cheesecake. Customers often wait up to two hours for a table so that they can enjoy the delicious food. Along with the extensive and creative menu, the establishment provides generous portions and legendary desserts, especially with regards to its cheesecake.  The establishment strives to take care of each and every customer by delivering a unique guest experience each day for every meal.

History

The Cheesecake factory was initially established by Evelyn Overton. Evelyn Overton found a recipe in the local newspaper, which inspired her “Original Cheesecake”.  She went into business after making her cheesecake and receiving numerous compliments in 1949. In the late 1950s, she opened a little cheesecake shop in Detroit Michigan. However, she had to discontinue running the store to take care of her family. She started to bake in a kitchen in her basement and supplied cakes to numerous restaurants. Evelyn and her husband, Oscar Overton, eventually moved to the city of Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, Evelyn and Oscar opened a wholesale bakery and made cheesecakes and other desserts to supply local restaurants. The first Cheesecake Factory was opened in Beverly Hills, California in 1978 by Evelyn Overton’s son, David M. Overton. The establishment started out as a small restaurant serving sandwiches and salads. David also sold a variety of his mother’s cheesecakes on a one page menu. A second restaurant was opened in 1983, in Marina del Rey. The Beverly Hills location was experiencing great financial success in the late eighties, during which time it had expanded into a larger restaurant that could seat 78 guests.

The success of the Beverly Hills location inspired Evelyn and Oscar Overton to open another location. The third location was opened in Redondo Beach, California in 1983. This store was a much larger location. It was eventually renovated into a 21,000 square foot establishment that could seat 300 customers. The establishment’s one page menu had expanded by the end of the 1980s.  By this time, the restaurant offered both fast food and short order items along with more desserts. The store eventually opened another location, this time, in Washington, D.C. This was the restaurant’s first location outside of Southern California.

The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. was incorporated in 1992. The company went public in 1993. The restaurant continued to expand over the years and now has approximately 200 locations within the United States and around the world. There are locations in almost every state within the U.S., including Georgia, Florida, New York, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Virginia, Minnesota, and Illinois, to name a few. The restaurant’s international locations are mostly located in the Middle East. These locations include Lebanon, Dubai, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia.  There is also a restaurant in Mexico.

Review

The Cheesecake Factory provides one of the most extensive menus with a wide variety of food categories and choices. Menu categories consist of Small Plates and Snacks, Salads, Lunch Specials, Pizza, Burgers and Sandwiches, Pastas, Steaks, Chops, and Seafood, Specialties, “Superfoods”, and Sunday Brunch. There is also a “Skinnylicious” section that provides a selection of food items with lower calories. There is of course, a dessert menu, which includes an entirely separate section for cheesecakes, as well as other dessert selections. There is also a Kids Menu for children ten years and younger. The restaurant also provides catering upon request and there is a separate catering menu.

The Small Plates and Snacks are priced between $4 and $7, whereas the Appetizers are priced between $8 and $14. The Salads are priced between $6 and $13. The Lunch Specials include a variety of possible selections and are priced between $10 and $14. The Pizzas include cheese, pepperoni, portofino, and the Everything Pizza, and are priced between $10 and $13.  The Burgers, commonly referred to as the “Glamburgers” at this restaurant, also have a variety of options, such as the Classic Burger, the Factory Burger, the Mushroom Burger, Veggie Burger, Macaroni and Cheese Burger, and the Americana Burger.  The burgers are priced between $10 and $14. The Pastas are priced between $14 and $19, and include for example, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Bistro Shrimp Pasta, Pasta Carbonara, Fettuccini Alfredo, and Pasta Da Vinci.

The Specialties section consists of a wide selection of food inspired by different types of cuisine, for example American, Mexican, and Asian. This section is priced between $13 and $18 and has everything, from Famous Factory Meatloaf, to Baja Chicken Tacos, to Teriyaki Chicken. The Seafood section is priced between $16 and $20, and includes for example, the Fried Shrimp Platter, Fried Catfish, Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp, and Herb Crusted Filet of Salmon. The Steaks and Chops section is priced between $19 and $30 and includes Hibachi Steak, Filet Mignon, Steak Diane, Grilled Pork Chop, Chargrilled Coulotte Steak, and Grilled Rib-Eye Steak.

Customers love this restaurant as is evident by the constant crowd and long lines. The restaurant does not take reservations ahead of time. However, the long wait times have not deterred guests. The staff is friendly and the service is decent. The restaurants are generally clean. The food and cheesecakes are amazing and well-liked by customers, who keep coming back for more. The portions are generous and customers may have to take some of their meal home. The drinks are great too.  Recommended dishes include the steaks, burgers, and the seafood. The favorite selection on the menu is, of course, the cheesecake.