Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Cheesecake Factory
Search every verified David Overton interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2013 interview, David Overton discussed The Cheesecake Factory's expansion and operations. He stated that the company covers employees working over 25 hours for health care and was uncertain about the financial impact of the Affordable Care Act, suggesting that if costs increased they might be passed on to customers. Overton also described the company's international expansion, noting that they licensed their concept to Alshaya Group and had opened locations in Kuwait and Dubai, with plans for Jeddah, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, and Russia. He said the only menu changes for the Middle East were removing alcohol and pork and using halal ingredients. Overton attributed the company's success to "great food at a reasonable price" and noted that the chain introduced a SkinnyLicious menu with over 50 items under 590 calories in response to obesity concerns. He also mentioned that Dr. Atul Gawande had described the company as a model for the restaurant industry due to its training, innovation, and cost-cutting practices.
“We do cover everyone that works over 25 hours today so unlike a lot of businesses we already are paying a great deal in health care, so we're not sure how much more it will be or how much less or what exactly we'll do.”
“When you say it will be very costly, it will be passed on to who? Customers? Well, I believe most people will have to do that.”
“We don't know if what we're actually paying is very, very close and we won't have to raise prices, so we'll see. I'd love to answer that for you maybe in a year.”
“Dr. Gandi is looking at us as a model; he thinks we're the gold standard of the restaurant business. We do so many things right: we train, we innovate, we cut costs, and we completely change the menu twice a year.”
“Businesses that don't cover their employees will be in for a very expensive situation.”
“We're going global. We licensed our company concept to Elsha, who is in 18 countries and has 200 Starbucks in the Middle East. We just opened two for them, one in Kuwait and one in Dubai, with wait times of two to three hours.”
“The only thing we changed for the Middle East market is we took out alcohol and pork, and we're using halal. Our portions are the same size, our menu is the same, and they absolutely love it.”
“Next year we'll be going to Jetta, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, and Russia.”
“I think it's great food at a reasonable price, a good product. Anything America wants to eat can go on our menu.”
“When obesity came up, we responded with a SkinnyLicious menu—over 50 items under $5.90—so there's really no veto votes when it comes to going to Cheesecake; everybody can find what they want.”
The Cheesecake Factory started as one restaurant in Beverly Hills, and now it has more than 170 locations and is expanding ...
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