Cheesecake factory menu with prices and calories

The Cheesecake Factory is known to have a long menu with almost any food option you could ever want.

However, if you have ever looked at the calorie counts listed on their menu, then you might have been left in a state of shock.

Whether you love eating at The Cheesecake Factory or you are just curious about the restaurant, you might be wondering why The Cheesecake Factory is so high in calories.

In this article, we are going to talk about The Cheesecake Factory and find out why their menu items are so high in calories.

The portion sizes at The Cheesecake Factory are larger than what one person would typically eat in one meal.

Along with this, many of the restaurant chain’s dishes are cooked with butter and oil, which are both extremely high in calories.

This contributes to the high calorie count in many dishes that you find on The Cheesecake Factory menu.

The menu item that has the highest calories at The Cheesecake Factory is their Factory Nachos with Spicy Chicken.

It has been deemed delicious by many customers, but the dish does have 2,950 calories and 210 grams of fat.

Because of the high calorie count and large portion size in the Factory Nachos with Spicy Chicken, many people will split the dish into two meals or share it with another person or two.

Is The Cheesecake Factory Considered Unhealthy?

The Cheesecake Factory offers a wide range of menu options, but it has been called unhealthy by some nutritional experts.

In a study done by Consumer Reports on 17 restaurant chains, The Cheesecake Factory was scored as one of the lowest in terms of whether the menu contains healthy food.

The Cheesecake Factory scored very low on the number of whole grains that were offered and the amount of sodium in their dishes.

They also received a low score for their beverages and saturated fats.

According to the FDA, adults should consume less than 2,400 mg of sodium per day.

Many dishes at The Cheesecake Factory contain well over 2,500 mg of sodium which puts adults over the recommended daily serving with just one meal.

This is something to keep in mind when dining at The Cheesecake Factory.

Are Slices Of Cheesecake From The Cheesecake Factory High In Calories?

When looking at the nutrition guide for The Cheesecake Factory, you can view the calorie content for each different type of cheesecake.

The calories listed in the nutrition guide and The Cheesecake Factory menu are per slice.

Every slice of cheesecake except the original is more than 1,000 calories with some coming in closer to 1,500 per slice.

A slice of original cheesecake is approximately 800 calories because it does not have any additional toppings.

According to Medical News Today, it is recommended that men consume approximately 2,500 calories per day and 2,000 for women.

Therefore, a slice of cheesecake could take up over half of one’s recommended calorie intake.

Does The Cheesecake Factory Have Healthy Options?

If you are wanting to dine at The Cheesecake Factory, but are hoping to find healthier options then you are in luck.

The restaurant now offers its SkinnyLicious menu, which has several lower-calorie options for those that are wanting something delicious, but with not as many calories as many of the other dishes on the menu.

The SkinnyLicious menu offers small plates and appetizers such as stuffed mushrooms and chicken taquitos, several salad options, and a variety of entrees including Lemon-Herb Parmesan Chicken, hamburgers, tacos, and fish.

All of the dishes are under 600 calories and a good majority of them have less than 10 grams of saturated fat, which is much healthier than the standard menu.

Why Is The Menu So Large At The Cheesecake Factory?

With a menu of over 20 pages and 250 items, it can feel overwhelming to eat at The Cheesecake Factory due to the large number of food options available.

According to Thrillist, the founder of The Cheesecake Factory, David Overton, states that the menu just continued to grow as people enjoyed the food they were creating.

What began as a place for his mother to sell her desserts eventually grew into one of the largest restaurant menus.

Overton was worried that if he did not continue to add items to the menu, customers would go find that type of food elsewhere.

Instead, he decided to add every type of food imaginable to the menu so that customers could go to The Cheesecake Factory for any type of food they desired.

Anytime they decided to make a new dish and thought it would be successful, they would add it to their menu.

Gradually, the menu just continued to grow.

How Often Does The Cheesecake Factory Add New Menu Items?

According to a Today interview with the Chief Culinary Officer at The Cheesecake Factory, their menu typically changes twice per year.

They will add 10–12 items and remove 10–12 items at the same time.

This allows the menu size to stay the same but gives them a chance to refresh the menu and add new dishes for customers to enjoy.

The CEO and founder of The Cheesecake Factory, David Overton, gets to make the final decision on what items will be removed from the menu.

The restaurant tries to keep the staples that customers have loved for many years such as the spinach artichoke dip, but they also want to keep the menu changing and allow customers the chance to try something new.

Do Employees Have to Memorize The Entire Menu?

Employees at The Cheesecake Factory do have to memorize the entire menu.

According to an Insider interview with a previous employee, they are required to do a two-week long training that includes one full week dedicated to memorizing the menu.

The company uses giant flashcards to help employees memorize the dishes’ looks, names, and descriptions.

They also require employees to take multiple written and verbal tests to ensure that they can identify every single dish that is on the menu.

It is not an easy process.

Is The Cheesecake Factory Food Made Fresh?

All items on The Cheesecake Factory menu are made fresh every day.

Even with over 250 menu items, chefs are required to make each dish completely fresh and from scratch.

Many new chefs that come into work for the restaurant are shocked that they continue to make so many items from scratch.

With that many dishes, the kitchen must have 700 ingredients stocked at all times.

Are There Any Foods At The Cheesecake Factory That Are Frozen?

Although The Cheesecake Factory cooks every dish fresh from scratch, they do have one menu item that is made and then frozen.

That is their cheesecakes. The cheesecakes are made in a central corporate kitchen and shipped frozen to various locations.

This is the only menu item of The Cheesecake Factory that is not made fresh.

This is because cheesecake is not served warm, and it is easier for the company to have one kitchen to make all of the cheesecakes and then ship them to the various restaurants than to add the workload to each restaurant’s kitchen.

Does The Cheesecake Factory Have Calories Listed On The Menu?

If you are planning to visit one of The Cheesecake Factory’s locations and want to be able to look at the calories in each dish, then you are in luck.

They print their calories for each meal on the menu so you can see it when ordering.

However, they will not put sodium or fat content on the menu, so if you are wanting to look at this information as well when making a decision about what to order, then you can look online and find this information easily on their website with their nutritional guide.

What Are Easy Ways To Eat Healthier At The Cheesecake Factory?

It is possible to make healthier choices at The Cheesecake Factory and still enjoy a delicious meal at the restaurant.

One of the easiest ways to eat healthier at The Cheesecake Factory is to just drink water instead of ordering a beverage that could have quite a few calories, lots of sugar, and potentially a good amount of sodium as well.

Some beverages at The Cheesecake Factory have 200–300 calories or more per drink.

When ordering an appetizer or entree, look at the SkinnyLicious menu.

These will be options with fewer calories as well as less saturated fat and sodium.

There are many options available on this menu.

The best option would be to skip dessert, but if you choose to order dessert, then the original cheesecake will be your best option as it contains the fewest calories.

Is The Cheesecake Factory Expensive?

The cost of eating at The Cheesecake Factory can add up quickly depending on how many people are eating and the foods that are ordered.

Many appetizers are in the $6 to $13 range, beverages can range from $3 to $15, entrees are typically $15 to $30, and desserts are around $7 to $9.

If you have two people who are eating, and they choose to get beverages (besides water), an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert, then you could be looking at $75 to well over $100 for a meal.

For a family of four, it could easily be a $150 to $200 meal.

If you want to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, but want to keep the price of the meal somewhat low then drinking water and skipping the appetizer are great ways to reduce your overall cost.

Where Is The Cheesecake Factory Located?

There are 209 The Cheesecake Factory locations spread among 41 different states and 188 cities.

The state with the most The Cheesecake Factory locations is California.

That state has 39 locations, which accounts for 18% of the total locations.

The other two states with the most The Cheesecake Factory locations include Florida with 20 locations and Texas with 17 locations.

Is The Cheesecake Factory Located Overseas?

As of 2021, The Cheesecake Factory has locations overseas in foreign countries.

These countries include UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Mexico, the Chinese Mainland, and certain regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

The menu options may differ slightly in restaurants that are located overseas.

Conclusion

The Cheesecake Factory dishes are high in calories, but the restaurant continues to be a favorite for thousands of people.

For those that want to eat healthy meals but would still like to enjoy The Cheesecake Factory, they do offer their SkinnyLicious menu that has healthier options.