The Cheesecake Factory, Inc.: Revolutionizing Cheesecake Dining

The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is probably the most renowned cheesecake restaurants in America and even the world. The company is located in the United States and currently operates 139 full service and casual dining restaurants in major metropolitan areas in the United States. The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is also characterized by their extensive menus, large options and lavish decors.

The Cheesecake Factory offers a casual dining experience, complete with lavish decorative floors, limestone floors, hand-painted fabrics, cherry wood trimming and contemporary lighting. Their menu contains 200 selections of food and 50 different cheesecakes and desserts, which includes their trademark Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake.

Humble Beginnings

The early beginnings of the Cheesecake Factory started with Oscar and Evelyn Overton. They dreamed of opening their very own business where Evelyn, always known as a skilled cook, created cheesecake recipes liked by her friends. During the late 1940’s, Evelyn decided to open a small cheesecake shop in Detroit. However, in order to raiser her to two children properly, she chose to extinguish her dreams and gave up the shop. She then moved her baking to the kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to a number of local restaurants.

During the year 1971, with their children all grown up, the couple decided to move their cheesecake business to Los Angeles. Carrying only what is left from their savings, they managed to open a 700 square foot store and called it the Cheesecake Factory. The early years were extremely lean and very difficult. The couple even worked at 18-hour shifts. Oscar concentrated on selling the cakes and establishing new accounts while Evelyn managed the office and baked the cheesecakes.

Luckily, the people of Los Angeles liked their cheesecakes, which made the reputation of their restaurant grow. In 1975, they have improved their bakery and Evelyn created over twenty assortments of delectable cheesecakes and other desserts. Oscar started purchasing delivery trucks, expanding their cheesecake distribution, hiring drivers and developing additional out-of-state customers.

The tireless effort of the couples to provide innovative and quality product development eventually gave way to the foundation of the Cheesecake Factory’s success. In 1978, their son David then founded the Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, which was a milestone for the company and made them even more famous.

Expansion and Successes

Owners of the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas asked David Overton to establish a casual and upscale restaurant for the hotel. In order to do this, David traveled to Europe in order to study the architecture, cuisine, design and décor of traditional Italian trattorias, pastry shops and grand cafes of Vienna. David eventually created the Grand Lux Café, which is known to merge the luxuriant European cafes with the sensibilities of an all-American restaurant.

The establishment offers cuisine from cultures, like Malaysian, Caribbean, Thai, aside from European style food. More so, it is located in several locations, including Houston, Long Island, Paramus, Florida, New Jersey, Miami, Chicago and Denver, among others.

The main emphasis of the Grand Lux is the bakery on the premises, which offers baked-to-order cheesecakes and other desserts. However, they also offer baked food products at counters for take-out. Currently, the company operates thirteen restaurants in several locations.

The Cheesecake Factory also offers online services. Within this venture, the company offers cheesecakes that will be delivered to customers in dry ice. Truly, no company has ever achieved cheesecake revolution than the Cheesecake Factory, Inc.