New York
CNN
—
Say your final farewells to the “Loaded Mashed Potato Omelette,” because it’s one of the more than dozen menu items that the Cheesecake Factory has eliminated from its menu as part of a broader shakeup.
The Cheesecake Factory’s massive, spiral-bound menu, which has more than 250 items, is perhaps the most recognizable trademark of the company, but it undergoes a yearly change to keep diners coming back. That has helped the chain buck overall weakness in the casual dining sector in which only a few have been able to successfully crack the code — notably, Chili’s — while others have fallen into bankruptcy or continue to struggle.
“We’ve changed the menu twice a year, every year, for 40 years,” founder David Overton said in a 2017 interview. “That’s what keeps people interested. And it keeps us current. We don’t rest on our laurels. There’s nothing that America wants to eat that can’t go on the Cheesecake Factory menu.”
As part of this shakeup, the chain is ditching 13 menu items:
Everything Flatbread Pizza
Mushroom Burger
Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
White Chicken Chili
Spicy Cashew Chicken
Bistro Shrimp Pasta
Fried Shrimp Platter
Petite Filet
Factory Combinations
Loaded Mashed Potato Omelette
Taco Dorados and Eggs
SkinnyLicious Lemon Herb Parmesan Chicken
SkinnyLicious Spicy Shrimp Pasta
But shrinkflation isn’t eating into its novel-like menu. The Cheesecake Factory is replacing the ousted items with about 20 new foods and cocktails, plus it’s getting into the “mocktail” trend. Some notable new menu items are inspired by TikTok, like the Asian Cucumber Salad that took over people’s feeds last year. Others have been pulled from its fast food rivals, like the Double Smash Burger.
Keeping the menu fresh has helped the 53-year-old chain avoid the fate of its rivals and its bolstered its bottom line. The Cheesecake Factory’s (CAKE) stock is up more than 35% over the past year and its sales at stores open at least a year have fallen only once since the beginning of 2023. The chain has about 200 locations in United States and Canada.
A recent report from Placer.ai, a consumer analysis firm, said the Cheesecake Factory benefits from its “ability to harness the power of annual dining milestones,” adding that these days “can be powerful drivers of foot traffic at restaurants, offering chains a prime opportunity to grow visits – and sales.”
Plus, the chain is benefiting from Flower Child, a casual spinoff with about 40 locations that focuses on healthy foods, like sandwiches and salads. Same-store sales jumped 11% in its most recent quarter, according to its earnings report, helping propel the overall company’s health.
