The Cheesecake Factory may have just reported its second consecutive quarter of $1 billion-plus revenues — a company-first — but that’s not what’s putting the casual-dining chain in the headlines this week.
Instead, the Cheesecake Factory unexpectedly finds itself in the middle of a political back-and-forth between former President Obama and President Trump. What began with the chain as the butt of a joke has turned into an unlikely publicity moment right in the middle of the politically tense midterm elections season.
It all began last weekend, when Obama spoke at a rally in Ohio. During his campaign speech for Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, Obama took some jabs at Trump, and at one point said, “He’s got the White House looking like Sadam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” referencing the gold-heavy renovations Trump initiated during his second term.
The response went viral online, with many commenters coming to the defense of The Cheesecake Factory.
While The Cheesecake Factory found itself in the middle of this unexpected political firestorm — with liberals enjoying the jab and conservatives claiming that Obama’s joke came across as elitist — the Trump administration’s social media accounts mounted an aggressive defense. The White House X account and White House YouTube pages seemingly embraced the comparison, with AI-generated images of Trump waving to crowds in front of a Cheesecake Factory. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent even staged a photo-op of him eating a meal at the restaurant.
But the back-and-forth culture wars did not end there. Obama then followed up at a campaign rally earlier this week, saying he “heard the President was not happy” about his joke.
“I am the father of two daughters,” he said. “Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to The Cheesecake Factory?”
He then added, “prices have gotten so high, a lot of folks can barely afford to go out to eat. You would think this administration would spend time worrying about that.”
This isn’t the first time restaurant chains have found themselves pulled into political conversations about food prices and value ahead of the midterm elections. Last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted a social media video titled “Why Food Chains Taste Worse and Cost More,” blaming private equity for rising prices and declining quality at several U.S. restaurant chains, specifically calling out Jersey Mike’s.
In both instances, Jersey Mike’s and The Cheesecake Factory opted not to respond to the online attention. In fact, The Cheesecake Factory had been posting on Instagram nearly every day before Obama’s initial comments last weekend, but the account has gone quiet ever since.
Of course, the casual-dining chain could have instead leaned into the viral moment without getting too political, perhaps with a lighthearted post along the lines of, “We know it’s a lot to take in. And we’re not just talking about the menu” or “Our décor might not be for everyone, but our seasonal pumpkin pecan cheesecake sure is.”
Instead, The Cheesecake Factory’s executive team ignored the viral social media moment during the company’s third quarter earnings call this week, and let the brand’s industry-defying strong traffic speak for itself.
Contact Joanna at [email protected]
