Anyone who’s been to Cheesecake Factory knows that it has an absolutely massive menu. We’re not just talking about the over 50 different varieties of cheesecake and baked desserts, either. They offer dozens of different meals, making it possible for just about anyone to find something they like on the menu.
It can also cause an issue for those who are indecisive, though, as there’s so much to choose from that it might be hard to make up one’s mind. This isn’t an exaggeration either, as the menu boasts over 250 different items from multiple cuisines, including American, Italian, and Mexican food. Cheesecake Factory even serves breakfast all day.
The reason for this novel of a menu is simple: Cheesecake Factory founder David M. Overton wanted to make a menu with a variety of dishes that the customers liked, and he did that by adding just about everything. Overton didn’t come from a restaurant background when he started the infamous chain and didn’t follow the typical “simple is better” credo that many restaurants use.
“At first, we really just wanted a menu that lived around the cheesecakes,” Overton told Thrillist. “I wasn’t a chef, I had no experience in the restaurant business either, and I didn’t want any chef we hired to walk out on me. So, I made sure that everything we served, was something I could make myself.”
How Cheesecake Factory regularly adds and removes menu items
Now, Cheesecake Factory updates the menu twice a year, adding new trendy meal items that are meant to keep diners interested in the restaurant’s already expansive offerings. In the latest menu update, Cheesecake Factory added nearly two dozen new items, including chicken shawarma, mortadella panino, steak frites, and spicy tuna.
When it comes to what goes off the menu, it all comes down to what is least popular. This year, 13 menu items were removed from Cheesecake Factory’s offerings, including White Chicken Chili, Spicy Cashew Chicken, Loaded Mashed Potato Omelette, and Taco Dorados.
What is incredible about this expansive menu is that the restaurants make each menu item from scratch every day, refusing to take shortcuts despite the vast selection and all the ingredients that a menu of this magnitude requires.
Cheesecake Factory has been around for over 45 years, and the magic of the massive menu must be working because they continue to expand, most recently sharing plans to add restaurants in three states. USA Today learned that the new locations would be added in Illinois, Florida, and Texas in 2025.
