The Cheesecake Factory trades from more than 200 restaurants across about 40 states, all built around an oversized menu of American comfort food. The chain started in Detroit. David Overton opened the first restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1978, and the Overton family recipe still anchors the bakery case.
The Cheesecake Factory’s history, the company built around it, and the shape of the estate today fill the section below.
The Cheesecake Factory History
Evelyn Overton began baking cheesecakes in the basement of her Detroit home in the 1940s, selling them to local restaurants rather than to walk-in customers. Her husband Oscar helped run the growing operation as demand outgrew the house kitchen. The family moved the business to Los Angeles in 1972 and opened a proper wholesale bakery. Whole cheesecakes shipped out to restaurants across the region instead of over a storefront counter.
David Overton, Evelyn and Oscar’s son, took the family cheesecake recipe and built a full-service restaurant around it. The first Cheesecake Factory opened in Beverly Hills in 1978. The kitchen paired the cheesecake case with an unusually long list of appetizers, pastas, salads and entrées rather than a short, focused menu. That oversized format became the chain’s defining trait as more locations opened through the 1980s and into the 1990s.
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated went public on NASDAQ in 1992 under the ticker CAKE, funding faster growth across the country. David Overton still runs the company as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Its third-quarter 2026 report counted 218 company-owned Cheesecake Factory restaurants in the United States and Canada, with 35 more operating abroad under license. Evelyn Overton’s recipe still anchors the cheesecake case at every one of them.
The Cheesecake Factory Menus & Details
Five pages carry the detail. Each one puts an item name and its figures on the same row.
The Cheesecake Factory Menu Prices
The full board carries a dollar figure beside every item and a calorie count beside nearly all of them. The Cheesecake Factory Menu Prices cover every section.
The Cheesecake Factory Secret Menu
Off-menu builds carry their own names. Regulars order them by name on the Cheesecake Factory Secret Menu.
The Cheesecake Factory Allergen Menu
Milk, egg, soy, wheat and shellfish get marked against each item. The Cheesecake Factory Allergen Menu carries the full breakdown.
The Cheesecake Factory Fall Menu
Pumpkin flavors return to the cheesecake case each autumn. Current picks sit on the Cheesecake Factory Fall Menu.
The Cheesecake Factory Happy Hour
Weekday bar pricing covers select beers, wines and small plates. The Cheesecake Factory Happy Hour lists the days and hours.