Earlier this week, former U.S. President Barack Obama joked that President Trump had The White House looking like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
But, with reported record third-quarter revenue of $1.03 billion, is The Cheesecake Factory a punchline for the U.S. public? Looking at consumer perception data using YouGov BrandIndex suggests a positive attitude towards the American restaurant chain among its patrons. The Cheesecake Factory (83) leads BJ's (74) and Cracker Barrel (75) on satisfaction among current customers.
While satisfaction doesn’t specifically measure the appeal of a restaurant’s interior design, it does hint that the overall customer experience is positive. The Cheesecake Factory leads BJ's customer Satisfaction score by 9 points. BJ’s sits 9 points behind, while Cracker Barrel sits 8 points behind.
The Cheesecake Factory’s reputation is stronger than that of its competitors
Obama’s joke played on perceptions that The Cheesecake Factory has a somewhat gaudy vibe. But do American consumers share this opinion? Our data shows that Reputation scores, which track whether the public would be proud or embarrassed to work for a company, exceed those of its immediate competitors. The score for the average casual dining brand in the U.S. is 8.
With a score of 22.0, The Cheesecake Factory outperforms its immediate competitors, BJ’s (7.0) and Cracker Barrel (7.0).
Our data also shows that the chain’s Reputation scores are relatively stable along income lines. This isn’t true of, for example, Cracker Barrel, which performs twice as well among lower income American consumers.
Methodology
YouGov BrandIndex tracks daily perceptions of thousands of brands. Scores are based on the following questions:
Satisfaction: “Of which of the following restaurant chains would you say that you are a "Satisfied customer"/ Of which of the following restaurant chains would you say that you are a "Dissatisfied customer"? Reputation: Imagine that you were looking for a job (or advising a friend to look for a job). Which of the following companies would you be PROUD to work for?/Now which of the following companies would you be EMBARRASSED to work for?
Scores are reported as net scores from –100 to +100, based on daily US surveys weighted using propensity scoring with ACS benchmarks (age, gender, race, education, region). Figures cover the period October 30, 2025 - October 29, 2026.
Image credit: Getty Images
