With 31 different cheesecake flavors at any given time, plus extra seasonal offerings, no establishment is better known for this dessert in America than the Cheesecake Factory. The bake case is always fully stacked, and we have to know: Does the Cheesecake Factory really go through that much cake?
According to what a spokesperson shared with Reader’s Digest in 2024, it seems the restaurant really does go through a ton of cake — the Cheesecake Factory sells around 35 million slices every year. Based on our taste test of every flavor of cheesecake sold at the chain, we know that some are much better than others. It’s not hard to imagine that Chowhound’s top two favorite flavors, Godiva Chocolate and coconut cream pie cheesecake, might sell out. But what about the pineapple upside-down or celebration cheesecake?
As for the not-so-favorite cakes the chain doesn’t manage to sell in a timely fashion, and all the other leftover food, the Cheesecake Factory fortunately donates leftovers to local non-profits and food banks. The restaurant’s 20-page menu and made-from-scratch dishes mean that there is potential for a lot of leftovers, but it’s a relief to know that they don’t get tossed in the trash. The cheesecakes are all prepared off-site and delivered to the restaurants frozen, which helps cut down on food waste. If you were wondering if staff are lucky enough to snag any extra slices, the answer is sometimes. A former employee shared with Business Insider that the bakery would sometimes give extras to staff, and staff in training were always encouraged to try new flavors.
More details on the company’s donation program
To combat food waste effectively, the Cheesecake Factory actually launched its own food donation program to ensure its leftover food reached the right channels. Called the Nourish Program, it diverts over half a million pounds of food to more than 500 non-profits and food banks throughout the country.
Food donation to those in need, although it seems like an easy, obvious solution to reducing food waste, is notoriously tricky. Not all food can be easily donated due to health and safety reasons, and it can prove challenging to transport the food to where it needs to go before it spoils. That’s where tech comes in handy — the Cheesecake Factory uses Copia, a zero food waste platform and app, to easily connect non-profits with the food donations available. The app is also used for scheduling on-demand pickups, so the leftovers aren’t sitting around.
Plus, did you know your slice of cheesecake sometimes does more than satisfy a craving? Yep — the restaurant has partnered with Feeding America to make its cake do good. For every featured cheesecake slice sold, the Cheesecake Factory donates 25 cents. The featured flavor at the time of this article’s writing is triple berry, BTW. Since the start of the program in 2008, the Cheesecake Factory has raised over $6.6 million for the charity, according to a company news release.
