Former President Barack Obama’s mockery of President Donald Trump’s aesthetic choices for the White House — “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory” — has Republicans furiously defending the sanctity of The Cheesecake Factory as a restaurant for real Americans.
“Classic Obama snobbery. Cheesecake Factory is a great option for people who can’t afford a private chef at their Martha’s vineyard estate,” Republican strategist Matt Whitlock wrote on X. Conservative activist Laura Loomer called The Cheesecake Factory “a place Americans can afford.”
Scott Jennings, who was on the White House’s short list for press secretary, claimed Obama hadn’t eaten a “dinner that costs less than $250 in years. Has never been in a Cheesecake Factory. Undefeated at condescending to regular folks.” Even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got in on the fun and went to eat at The Cheesecake Factory on Monday telling a reporter outside he’d “tell the Martha’s Vineyard set to give it a try.”
That got us thinking about the iconic restaurant chain and its Egyptian-style columns, painted ceilings and over 250 menu options. Specifically, where are The Cheesecake Factories of America and what are the communities around them like?
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Last week, housing blogger (and consultant) Aziz Sunderji released a magnificent newsletter item looking at which chains predominate areas with the highest home prices (Club Pilates, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s) and the lowest home prices (Family Dollar, Auto Zone, Rent-A-Center).
His chart had one glaring omission: The Cheesecake Factory. Of course, there’s no way Sunderji could have known that in just a few days, we’d all be wondering where The Cheesecake Factory fits into that exact equation.
So we went back to Sunderji’s dataset, did our best to reproduce his work and found that The Cheesecake Factory isn’t quite what Republicans are describing — or at the very least, its faux-marble gates are more likely to be in wealthier areas than working-class ones.
Home values in ZIP codes within 3 miles of a Cheesecake Factory are about 27% higher than comparable areas without an industrial cheesecake outlet, according to The Washington Sun’s analysis of data from Overture Maps, Zillow and the Census Bureau. That puts it in the same class as Lululemon, P.F. Chang’s and The UPS Store.
Much of the Cheesecake Real Estate Premium comes from the fact that these restaurants tend to be located in upscale malls, which we define as those with upscale outlets such as the Apple Store. Though, the Cheesecake Factories outside of malls also still tend to be in more expensive areas.
Where does that leave Obama’s comments? We’re not exactly sure. Regardless, no one, including Obama, meant “any offense to Cheesecake Factory people,” Obama’s senior adviser Eric Schultz wrote on X.
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