About
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant chain and cheesecake distributor based in the United States. It operates 370 full-service restaurants: 218 under the Cheesecake Factory brand, 47 under the North Italia brand, and 105 under other brands. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities in Calabasas, California, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
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 featuring an eclectic menu, large portions, and signature cheesecakes. In 2025, Fortune ranked the Cheesecake Factory at number 23 on their Fortune List of the Top 100 Companies to Work For in 2020 based on an employee survey of satisfaction. The Cheesecake Factory's average unit volume consistently leads the casual restaurant industry.
From Wikipedia’s article on David M. Overton, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2
Companies
- The Cheesecake FactoryChief executive officer8
- The Cheesecake FactoryFounder8
Early life and education
- Date not recordedUniversity of California College of the Law, San Francisco3
- Date not recordedWayne State University3
Founding and early years
Evelyn Overton, inspired by a cheesecake recipe from a Detroit newspaper, made a cheesecake for her husband's employer in the 1940s. The cheesecake was well received, and she opened a small cheesecake bakery in Detroit, Michigan, in the late 1950s. She closed the bakery to raise her children but continued supplying cheesecakes to local restaurants from her basement kitchen. In 1967, Evelyn's son David M. Overton left Detroit to attend Hastings College of Law in San Francisco but decided to be a drummer in 1968, performing with the Billy Roberts Blues Band. In 1971, David convinced his parents to relocate to Los Angeles to open a commercial bakery. In 1972, they moved to the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles where they opened The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, selling cheesecakes and other desserts to local restaurants.
From Wikipedia’s article on David M. Overton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career
- Date not recordedFounded The Cheesecake Factory4
- Date not recordedChief executive, The Cheesecake Factory5
Personal life
Legal issues and controversies
Animal welfare
In 2012, the Cheesecake Factory committed to eliminate the use of gestation crates from its pork supply chain by 2022. In its 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, it stated that by the end of 2022, 75% of its U.S. pork supply would be crate-free. In 2024, the Cheesecake Factory was highlighted by animal welfare organization Animal Equality for having made progress toward eliminating gestation crates in its supply chain, but not having eliminated them entirely.
In 2015, the Cheesecake Factory stated that it would eliminate the use of battery cage eggs from its supply chain, but did not specify a timeline for doing so. In 2023, it was identified by The Humane League and the Open Wing Alliance for failing to report progress on its cage-free transition. In March 2025, The Humane League stated that the Cheesecake Factory had achieved a 100% cage-free transition.
Legal problems
On December 4, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission resolved charges brought against the Cheesecake Factory for misleading investors during the COVID-19 pandemic; the company paid a $125,000 fine without admitting the findings in the order.
From Wikipedia’s article on David M. Overton (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1WikidataDavid M. Overton on Wikidata
- 2WikipediaDavid M. Overton on Wikipedia
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8