The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is the number one distributor of cheesecake in the United States. It is also a restaurant company. The company operates 165 full-service dining restaurants: 151 under The Cheesecake Factory marque, 13 under the Grand Lux Cafe marque and one under the RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen marque. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities—one in Calabasas, California and the other in Rocky Mount, North Carolina—and licenses two bakery-based menus for other food service operators under The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe marque. The company used to operate one self-service, limited-menu express food service operation under The Cheesecake Factory 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.

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 cheesecakes.