--- title: The Cheesecake Factory defies all odds - The Hustle description: Despite doing everything wrong, the Cheesecake Factory prevailed. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/238051046-final_size-cheesecake-factory_20221229001411.webp --- # The Cheesecake Factory defies all odds ![Sara Friedman](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Sara Friedman](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/sara-friedman) [Sara Friedman Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/sarafriedmannn) Published: December 29, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 If you’ve ever eaten an entire loaf of brown bread while flipping through a menu the size of a small novel, you know the Cheesecake Factory. ![The Cheesecake Factory defies all odds](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/238051046-final_size-cheesecake-factory_20221229001411.webp?width=595&height=400&name=238051046-final_size-cheesecake-factory_20221229001411.webp) First opened in 1978 in Beverly Hills, the restaurant now has 211 North American locations and consistently [ranks](http://huffpost.com/entry/americas-favorite-restaurant-cheesecake-factory_n_57309099e4b0bc9cb0474c2a) as a customer favorite. And it’s seeing record revenues despite doing arguably everything wrong, per [*Vox*](https://www.vox.com/culture/23516638/cheesecake-factory-restaurant-menu). #### **Restaurant rebel** The rules for a successful restaurant are simple: minimize everything. Labor, ingredients, and menu offerings are often cut to scale successfully. Meanwhile, the Cheesecake Factory: - Has 250+ items on the menu - Makes its food on-site from scratch - Strives for a lavish, in-person dining experience #### **During the pandemic…** … that spelled danger for the chain. The company furloughed [41k](https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-make-or-break-week-11585510109?mod=article_inline) hourly workers and was charged by the SEC for failing to disclose it was bleeding out [$6m](https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-306) in cash per week. But Cheesecake pivoted its efforts to delivery, [rehiring](https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/cheesecake-factory-restores-corporate-pay-majority-suspended-jobs#:~:text=The%20polished%2Dcasual%20chain%20also,the%20spread%20of%20COVID%2D19.) the majority of its employees to sling carbs to couch-bound customers. #### **Still cheesin’** Nevertheless, the Cheesecake Factory bounced back. The company reported record revenue of [$769m](https://investors.thecheesecakefactory.com/news-and-events/news-releases/news-release-details/2021/The-Cheesecake-Factory-Reports-Record-Revenues-in-the-Second-Quarter-of-Fiscal-2021-and-Provides-Business-Update/default.aspx) in July 2021, and topped that with [$832.6m](https://investors.thecheesecakefactory.com/news-and-events/news-releases/news-release-details/2022/The-Cheesecake-Factory-Reports-Results-for-Second-Quarter-of-Fiscal-2022-and-Provides-Business-Update/default.aspx) in Q2 of 2022, despite inflation and reduced consumer spending. **Even more shocking:** The restaurant’s most popular dish isn’t cheesecake at all. It’s fettuccine alfredo, which is ordered 200k+ times every month. 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