Rules You Should Know Before Eating At Cheesecake Factory

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The Cheesecake Factory has no business being such a successful restaurant chain. Between the overly eclectic cuisine selection, bizarre post-modern decor, and flamboyant cocktail lineup, it feels like it should have been a failed dining experiment. And yet, over 45 years into its existence, The Cheesecake Factory is going stronger than ever, defying industry logic and running over 200 restaurants with more on the way. But the chain definitely isn't a hit with everyone. To make the most of your dining experience, it's important to understand a few rules about The Cheesecake Factory.

Naturally, its namesake confection is a big reason for the popularity, with 17% of the restaurant's sales coming from desserts in 2024. The chain originated as a Los Angeles bakery before expanding into a full restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1978. Instead of settling on one (or even a few) cuisine types, The Cheesecake Factory has more or less followed every popular dining trend with its ever-evolving menu. It incorporates some fine dining elements with higher-than-average prices, but this chain definitely aims to please as many people as possible. That appeal for the masses has helped The Cheesecake Factory enter popular culture — from a shoutout in a Drake song to acting as a regular setting in "The Big Bang Theory" — without TV advertising. Whether you're a Cheesecake Factory superfan or a reluctant occasional patron, here's what you should know before getting a table.

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Much of The Cheesecake Factory's success comes from straddling the line between classy and familiar. Founder David Overton said he originated the phrase "upscale casual dining" to describe how his restaurant aims for a sophisticated aesthetic while targeting a broad clientele (via Vice). In other words, you may see Glamburgers on the menu, but you don't necessarily need to glam up to eat them. The restaurant offers some lax dress code guidance on its website. "Be comfortable and feel free to come as you are!" it says. "Just come hungry!"

The Cheesecake Factory is certainly a step up in price, atmosphere, and quality from competitor chains like LongHorn Steakhouse, BJ's, and Chili's. If you live near a high-end mall, odds are it has a Cheesecake Factory. The chain targets newly developed and affluent areas where customers can afford to pay a little more. As for the restaurant's oft-ridiculed interior, it may be nonsensical, but it's not exactly cheap. Most locations are adorned with a chaotic fusion of Egyptian columns, French bistro chairs, and Victorian embellishments.

It's a brazen mash-up of disparate styles that's extravagant in a middle-brow sort of way. Ultimately, The Cheesecake Factory makes strong attempts to appear refined, but no one is going to look at you funny if you walk in wearing shorts.

Depending on your mood, The Cheesecake Factory's endless menu can seem like an embarrassment of riches or a pointless indulgence. Regardless of where you land, we don't recommend reading the entire thing in one sitting if you want to eat before closing time. The menu features over 250 items, comprising everything from desserts and cocktails to steaks and pastas. These are all crammed into over 20 pages of a spiral-bound booklet that's surprisingly concise, considering the short descriptions and lack of images. It was even worse when the menus included advertisements as well.

The Cheesecake Factory keeps a big menu to cater to as many tastes as possible, but it wasn't always this way. According to founder David Overton, the originally small menu grew as he drew inspiration for new dishes from meals he ordered at other restaurants. Eventually, The Cheesecake Factory developed an identity for showcasing lots of cuisines at different price points. While the choose-your-own-adventure aspect is fun, you can fall down a rabbit hole of possibilities. Your best bet is to narrow your options to entrees, appetizers, or desserts, and then skim through the selections quickly. Trust your gut with the first item that grabs your eye. If you're still undecided, you can't go wrong with the Cheesecake Factory dishes topping 100,000 orders per month.

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When word got out in early 2025 that The Cheesecake Factory was eliminating 13 menu items, some may have assumed the chain was finally inching closer to a more streamlined selection. In true Cheesecake Factory fashion, however, the restaurant replaced those with 23 new options. That kind of overhaul is common at The Cheesecake Factory, which has been updating its menu twice a year for most of its existence. While the chain usually won't touch established options like the Pasta Da Vinci and its Famous Factory Meatloaf, it's proven that it's unafraid to jettison favorites like White Chicken Chili and the Everything Flatbread Pizza. The lesson here is never get too close to any new item, as it could be gone in another six months.

Thankfully, the menu is so large that there's often a decent enough substitute for scrapped Cheesecake Factory dishes. Many updates will incorporate the same star ingredient with a different supporting cast. For example, the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad was reimagined as the Seared Tuna Tataki Salad, featuring the likes of avocado and tomato. And with the new Spicy Ginger Beef Tenderloin, chefs essentially swapped proteins and a few ingredients from the old Spicy Cashew Chicken. The constant revolving door of dishes is another way to make every trip to The Cheesecake Factory a new experience. If you do have a set favorite, we recommend always having a backup option on standby.

The sign out front may say "Cheesecake," but the restaurant's brown bread is arguably just as well known. Servers will bring out a few pre-sliced baguettes of this sweet, multi-grain treat in a wire bread basket before every meal. While the brown bread is so popular that you can actually buy loaves made from the same recipe at your local supermarket, it's best when served warm and soft at The Cheesecake Factory. It's both complimentary and unlimited, so don't hesitate to dig in and ask your server for more. If you have a good wait staff, they'll fill 'er up throughout your meal without you having to ask.

Founder David Overton introduced the now-famous brown bread at the original Beverly Hills Cheesecake Factory, and it has only gained in esteem since. Many have tried to replicate the secret recipe with ingredients like cocoa powder and molasses. However, the store brand, which is baked offsite, is almost always better. It's tempting to hold back on this pre-meal primer. After all, you'll want to save room for your entree and dessert. Well, the dirty secret about free bread in restaurants is that the carbs can actually spike your blood sugar and pique your appetite.

It may seem pretty obvious that a chain restaurant centered on desserts is not the best spot for a balanced, nutritious meal. As you glance through the menu, you'll notice most items have more than 1,000 calories, and several clock in at over 2,000. The Louisiana Chicken Pasta contains 2,270 calories, the Pasta Carbonara with Chicken features 2,220 calories, and the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes have a whopping 2,360 calories.

Sure, the high calories and large portions aren't a secret, but The Cheesecake Factory really doesn't want you to know about how unhealthy its desserts are. Nearly every option contains over 1,000 calories and between 70 and 100 grams of sugar, with its Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake packing 122 grams of sugar into a single slice.

Of course, The Cheesecake Factory has its healthier SkinnyLicious menu, which includes tacos, pastas, and other selections under 600 calories. The chain first introduced the line in 2011 as its reputation as an unhealthy eatery grew. Aside from having a dated name, the SkinnyLicious items feel like watered-down alternatives. Sure, you could get the SkinnyLicious cheesecake (which is technically called the Low-Licious Cheesecake), but you're missing out on a lot of flavor. The better option is to share a piece of the 1,580-calorie Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake (which contains an eye-watering 104 grams of sugar) with the table and spread out the sugar overload.

With a menu as big as The Cheesecake Factory's, not every option is going to be a winner. Oddly, one of the most popular orders with customers is among its most derided. The Fettuccine Alfredo is a top-selling food item, with more than 200,000 monthly orders, according to Vox. And yet, it gets some of The Cheesecake Factory's worst reviews.

Customers say the dish lacks flavor, which is amazing considering it racks up over 2,100 calories when paired with chicken. Not surprisingly, many Cheesecake Factory employees apparently avoid the item, and some say they frequently see customers sending it back. If you're going to order something with 78 grams of saturated fat, it should be cheesy and creamy, not a bland stop-gap before dessert.

For a much better — and lighter — dining alternative, consider the Thai Lettuce Wraps with Chicken. This customer favorite is technically a shareable appetizer, but it's good enough to work as an entree. Each order comes with butter lettuce leaves and satay chicken strips along with fresh add-ins such as carrots, bean sprouts, and coconut curry noodles. The best part is drizzling on one of the three spicy Thai sauces. Not only is it one of the tastiest appetizers at Cheesecake Factory, but it's also one of the best items on the menu, period.

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The Cheesecake Factory traces its namesake back to founder David Overton's mother, who made cheesecake out of her basement for local Detroit restaurants for over two decades before opening her own bakery. Overton claims that his restaurant still uses his mom's recipe as the starting point for all its cheesecakes, which now number over 30. Do yourself a favor and sample a new variety each time you visit. There are plenty of worthy flavors to experience, from fruity to chocolatey. Unless you're the TikToker who tried every variety in one sitting, you could go once a month for years without having the same flavor twice.

A great place to start is with the Fresh Strawberry, which has been the chain's bestselling cheesecake for decades. The deliciously glazed strawberries are the perfect complement to that original cake. Other delectable fruity flavors include the Fresh Banana Cream, Lemon Meringue, and Key Lime cheesecakes. For something more indulgent, try the Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake with its layers of fudge cake, caramel, and chopped peanut butter cups. You also shouldn't sleep on the Original Cheesecake, which keeps things deliciously simple. Whichever you choose, you'll be able to savor the full scope of Evelyn Overton's recipe.

Unless you visit during off-hours, expect your local Cheesecake Factory to be lively and crowded. It's fairly common to see a line of guests congregating near the host station and waiting to be seated. The only way to skip ahead of the crowds and make a reservation is with a Cheesecake Rewards card. The Cheesecake Factory only accepts reservations through its website, and you'll have to log in as a member to do so. It may be a sneaky way to give up your email address, but customers claim it's the best way to get seated immediately.

Part of The Cheesecake Factory's charm is its bustling and fun atmosphere. The bar area can get rather festive, especially on busy evenings and weekends. However, you should know that it can get quite loud, inevitably exacerbated by the marble flooring commonly found at Cheesecake Factory locations. Thankfully, most restaurants are spacious and have ample seating in quieter areas. When you make a reservation (which is possible for parties of up to six people), you can request a booth or a certain area in the additional comments text box. Another perk of becoming a member — you'll get a free slice of cheesecake on your birthday.

Much like its approach to menu options, The Cheesecake Factory takes a more is more attitude with its serving sizes. You should know before you order that you'll likely receive a large, unfinishable portion unless you select a SkinnyLicious item. The strategy behind this is essentially to wow guests with the value and amount of food. Instead of being overwhelmed, just be ready for leftovers. Consider getting an item that will reheat well the next day, such as the flatbread pizzas or chicken pastas.

While The Cheesecake Factory isn't a family-style restaurant, there's no reason you can't share dishes. The Cheesecake Factory's president, David Gordon, has even said he wants customers to share and enjoy "experiential dining versus just coming in for a transactional meal" (via Vice). That way, you can squeeze more mileage out of fewer items. You can also order an appetizer for your main meal if you don't like leftovers. However, you may want to take a different approach with your dessert order. Reddit users have called out the seemingly shrinking helpings of cheesecake. One user shared a picture of a relatively small-looking slice of cheesecake in a to-go box while pointing out that the calorie count per slice had not diminished. Another commentator claiming to be a former Cheesecake Factory bakery employee said the restaurant saves the smaller sizes for takeout orders.

Working in the kitchen at The Cheesecake Factory is not a simple gig. Not only do you have to learn a long, ever-changing menu, but you must cook dishes to order. This is not one of the chains that serve reheated pre-made food. The Cheesecake Factory reports that locations have large staffs that start each day prepping fresh ingredients for hours. Cooks carefully prepare sauces from scratch and taste-test dishes for consistency. Ironically, the two biggest exceptions to this made-to-order rule are its two most popular items. Both the bread and all the varieties of cheesecake are baked offsite and shipped to the restaurants.

While it's impressive that The Cheesecake Factory prepares most of its menu fresh in-house, the trade-off is that some recipes may be over-simplified. Some customer conversations on Reddit question how a restaurant with over 250 dishes could possibly mass produce so many dishes without taking shortcuts. The menu also includes an array of international-inspired dishes, from Korean Fried Cauliflower to Chicken Shawarma. As you may expect from a chain restaurant, these are not necessarily authentic recipes. Instead, reviewers have noted that The Cheesecake Factory's global cuisine options are heavily Americanized to appeal to a broad audience.

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Sharing a slice of Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake under Egyptian columns and Italian frescos sounds like a pretty romantic first date. That is, until you realize you're just eating at your neighborhood Cheesecake Factory. In 2023, discussions of the worst places to take a first date went viral, with The Cheesecake Factory often cited as the top restaurant to avoid. That puts it above inauspicious date options like IHOP, Wingstop, and quite literally any other fast food chain. Its cupid cred took another hit when a video of a woman refusing to get out of the car because her date took her to The Cheesecake Factory went viral on social media.

The problem comes down to chain restaurants generally being considered uninspired and a lazy choice. The Cheesecake Factory's image as a faux-fancy dining spot doesn't help matters. On Reddit, some users have also lamented the fact that the restaurant is simply too loud and busy to have intimate conversations. TV personality Stephen A. Smith was among those who came to The Cheesecake Factory's defense on X, formerly known as Twitter, pointing out that the food is good and not inexpensive. At this point, however, the chain's date night rep is tarnished. We recommend selecting a different restaurant unless your date is head over heels about cheesecake.