Walk into one of David Overton’s 153 restaurants and chances are you’ll end up ordering something that’s been “cheesecake-ized.” That is, a dish that represents a twist on a classic flavor served to you in a portion size that’s large — very large.
“It’s what America wants to eat,” Overton said.
Overton, 65, is the founder and chief executive of the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain, based in Calabasas, Calif. It’s one of the most profitable restaurant chains in America with annual sales of $1.6 billion, thanks to menu items ranging from the eponymous cheesecake to pasta carbonara to chicken tortillas to miso-glazed salmon. The latter dish was inspired by the miso-glazed cod served at an icon of haute cuisine, the Japanese restaurant Nobu.