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The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. () is the ninth-largest restaurant company in the United States measured by Market Capitalization . The company operates 125 full-service, casual dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory name in major metropolitan areas in the United States . Cheesecake Factory restaurants are characterized by extensive menus, custom lavish décor, and large portions. 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 Cheesecake s, "What Is The Cheesecake Factory?" About Page on the company's website and the chain became a multi-million-dollar sales performer. The company went public in 1992, and was the first restaurant chain to reach a billion dollars in revenues with fewer than 100 restaurants in operation. CONCEPT According to its website, The Cheesecake Factory offers an upscale casual dining experience, complete with a full bar, whose lavish decor includes limestone floors, decorative columns, hand-painted fabrics, contemporary lighting, and cherry wood trimmings. Its extensive menu includes over 200 selections, including appetizers, pizza, pasta, seafood, steaks, salads, sandwiches, etc. Its featured dishes include Chicken Madeira, Miso Salmon, Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, and The Factory Burger. They have 50 different cheesecakes and desserts, including their registered trademark, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle® Cheesecake, and their Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. The Cheesecake Factory will ship their cheesecakes throughout the U.S. via Federal Express . HISTORY According to the company's website, the Cheesecake Factory had its beginnings with Osacar and Evelyn Overton, who dreamed of opening their own business, and more specifically with Evelyn, a skilled cook with a cheesecake recipe much liked by her friends. Evelyn first decided to open a business after making a cheesecake for her husband's employer in 1949. Evelyn opened a small cheesecake shop in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1940's, but later gave it up in order to raise her two children, David and Renee. She continued to supply cakes to several of the best local restaurants, however, through a kitchen in her basement. By 1971, their children were now grown, and Oscar and Evelyn moved the business to Los Angeles, using the last of their savings to open a 700 square foot store that bore the name "The Cheesecake Factory". Evelyn would bake and manage the office while Oscar worked and sales and building new accounts. The early years of their new company were sometimes difficult, but as the company's reputation and sales grew, the Overtons realized they needed a larger bakery, which they opened in 1975, at which point their business expanded dramatically, with Evelyn creating over 20 varieties of cheesecake and other desserts for hundreds of accounts from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and even out of state. In 1978, David founded The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills , which made Evelyn's cheesecakes even more famous. "Our Story" A History of the Cheesecake Factory at the company's official website A timeline of the Cheesecake Factory's history Today the company also operates one self-service, limited-menu express foodservice operation under The Cheesecake Factory Express marque inside the DisneyQuest family entertainment center in Orlando, Florida . Its cheesecakes and other baked goods can also be found in the cafes of many Barnes And Noble book stores. In addition, it operates a Bakery production facility in Calabasas Hills, California , which produces baked desserts and other products for its restaurants and other foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors. A second bakery was opened in Goldrock, North Carolina, near Rocky Mount , in March 2006. The Goldrock plant handles the distribution for the eastern half of the United States. According to their website, they do not provide nutritional information for their menu selections. FAQ page on The Cheesecake Factory's website. GRAND LUX CAFE The owners of the The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas asked David Overton to create an upscale casual restaurant for the Venetian. After traveling to Europe to study the cuisine, architecture, design and decor of Italian trattorias, French bistros, and the grand cafes and pastry shops of Vienna , Overton created the Grand Lux Cafe, which, according to the Grand Lux's website, merges the luxury of European cafes with the sensibilities of an all-American restaurant. The floors and tabletops are all-marble, and the glass fixtures are hand-blown, and intricate mosaics grace each location. The Cafe offers, in addition to generously-portioned European-style food, cuisine from cultures including Thai, Malaysian and Caribbean. The Grand Lux Cafe can be found in Las Vegas, Los Angeles , Chicago , Dallas , Houston , and Paramus, New Jersey . The Grand Lux also places particular emphasis on the on-premise bakery found at each Grand Lux Cafe, which are baked to order, though they also offer baked goods at the bakery counter for take-out. Lunch specials are served daily until 5:00pm, and special breakfast selections are served Saturdays and Sundays until 2:00pm. History Page at The Grand Lux Cafe's Official Website Today the company operates nine Grand Lux Cafe restaurants in California, Florida, Texas, Illinois and New York. One opened in Paramus, New Jersey with another slated to open in 2007 in Scottsdale, Arizona , at the Scottsdale Fashion Square . "Scottsdale Fashion Square Sparkes and Shines While Preparing For a Grand Dinner Guest" (pdf file) REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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