Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, formerly known as Cheddar's Casual Cafe, is an American restaurant chain based in
Irving,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. Founded in 1979, the company has more than 170 locations in 28 states as of 2018.
History
Cheddar's was founded in 1979 by Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers.
[Company Overview of Cheddar’s Casual Café, Inc](_blank)
Business Week. The first location was in
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
, and the chain reached 10 locations by 1995.
[The Untold Truth Of Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen](_blank)
Mashed.
By 2003, Cheddar's generated $150 million in revenue from 42 restaurants in 13 states
Dallas Business Journal. and Brazos Private Equity Partners made an initial investment to grow the company that year. In August 2006, when the company generated $245 million in revenue from 55 restaurants in 15 states,
Oak Investment Partners
Oak Investment Partners is a private equity firm focusing on venture capital investments in companies developing communications systems, information technology, new Internet media, healthcare services and retail.
History
The firm, founded in 19 ...
and L
Catterton Partners
L Catterton is a U.S.-headquartered private equity firm. Since 1989, the firm has made more than 250 investments in brands across all segments of the consumer industry.
L Catterton is led by its co-Chief Executive Officers, J. Michael Chu and S ...
jointly purchased Cheddar's.
[Catterton, Oak firms buy Cheddar's from Brazos](_blank)
Nation's Restaurant News.
In August 2007, the company recruited Kelly Baltes from
Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants, Inc. is an American multi-brand restaurant operator headquartered in Orlando. As of January 2022, the firm owns two fine dining restaurant chains: Eddie V's and The Capital Grille; and six casual dining restaurant chains: O ...
to serve as CEO.
[Cheddar’s Casual Café Names New Chairman](_blank)
PRIME Newswire.
In October 2014, Ian Baines was brought on as President and CEO of Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, after serving as CEO and President at Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation. Throughout his career, he has held various roles of increased responsibility with Darden Restaurants and
Brinker International, Inc.
In 2015, the company changed its name to Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen.
In 2017, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen acquired forty-four franchised units located in Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia from their "largest franchisee" Greer Companies, who is based in Kentucky. This brought their portfolio up to 164 corporate owned restaurants.
On March 27, 2017, Darden Restaurants announced its intent to acquire Cheddar's from shareholders such as L Catterton and Oak Investment Partners for $780 million plus another $10 million for transaction-related expenses. On March 28, 2017, when Darden announced it that had acquired Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Darden became the biggest gainer that day on the
S&P 500
The Standard and Poor's 500, or simply the S&P 500, is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices. As of D ...
.
The acquisition was completed on April 24, 2017.
Menu
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen serves a variety of made-from-scratch dishes. They are a dining establishment with traditional and modern American fare including hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, and House Smoked Baby Back Ribs that are smoked for a minimum of four hours.
[Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Menu](_blank)
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen.
Awards and honors
In 2012,
Zagat
The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering ...
ranked Cheddar's the nation's No.1 full-service restaurant chain as well as Top Overall American Cuisine, the Top Rated Food and Top Rated Decor and Facilities.
[2012 Fast Food Survey Results are Live](_blank)
, Zagat.com.
''
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy.
Founded ...
'' named Cheddar's #1 in the Pub Style or Grill Category in its two restaurant surveys in 2009
[Best Chain Restaurant Survey Finds Good Eats At Any Budget](_blank)
Consumer Reports. and 2012. The company also received the top ranking in value in Nation's Restaurant News/WD Partners' Consumer Picks Edition in 2011,
[Consumer Reports releases restaurant ratings](_blank)
Nation's Restaurant News. 2012, and in 2013
[Consumer Picks, Nation’s Restaurant News](_blank)
Nation's Restaurant News. for value, likelihood to return and likelihood to tell others.
In 2016, Technomic Consumer Choice Awards ranked Cheddar's No. 1 full-service restaurant chain for customer's intent to return.
In July 2016, Cheddar's was named #3 out of the "20 Top Full-Service Chains In Sales And Satisfaction" by Restaurant Business. Of all the full-service restaurants tracked, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen earned the best value ratings from consumers. Its satisfaction score was also among the highest of the group.
Also in 2016, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen named "Favorite Casual Dining Restaurant" in Market Force Study.
See also
*
List of restaurant chains
The following is a list of restaurant chains.
International
Argentina
*California Burrito Co.
* Mostaza
Australia
Canada
Costa Rica
* Rostipollos
Denmark
* Jensen's Bøfhus
Egypt
* Cook Door
* Mo'men
Finland
* Hesburger
* Kotipizza ...
*
List of food companies
This is a list of food companies, current and past businesses involved in food production or processing.
Africa
* All Joy Foods
* Bakers
* BOS Ice Tea
* Cevital
* Choppies
* Clover
* Colcom Foods
* Distell Group Limited
* Famous Brands
* ...
*
List of casual dining restaurant chains
This is a list of casual dining restaurant chains around the world, arranged in alphabetical order. A casual dining restaurant is a restaurant that serves moderately priced food in a casual atmosphere. Except for buffet-style restaurants and, more ...
References
External links
Cheddar's— official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheddar's Casual Cafe
Companies based in Irving, Texas
Restaurants in Texas
Economy of the Midwestern United States
Economy of the Southeastern United States
Economy of the Southwestern United States
Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Restaurants established in 1979
Restaurant franchises
1979 establishments in Texas
2017 mergers and acquisitions
Darden Restaurants brands