There's A Reason Cheesecake Factory's Cheesecake Tastes The Same Everywhere

The Cheesecake Factory is an American dining staple. Founded in California in the 1970s, the chain is known for its extensive menu and iconic dessert case, which contains an endless array of enormous cheesecake slices. If you've noticed that things tend to taste the same no matter which location you go to, you're not crazy. Impressively, The Cheesecake Factory has managed to ensure that all of its baked goods stay consistent throughout its restaurants by prepping everything in the same two places.

The company's bakery division, known simply as The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, runs two different production facilities in the U.S. — one is located in Calabasas Hills, California, and the other is in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. All of the desserts served across The Cheesecake Factory's 362 North American restaurants are made in these facilities, as are the company's line of At Home products and items for its lesser-known restaurants.

The Cheesecake Factory Bakery makes a whopping 57 different cheesecakes and desserts, and each is individually boxed and frozen on-site. They're then shipped out across the country to be thawed out and enjoyed, and when the instructions are followed, they should taste freshly made.

The Cheesecake Factory chooses to align its bakery operations so that it can maintain consistency throughout its locations. It also allows the company to maintain strict quality control standards, and it works out cheaper than buying the desserts from a third party. Baking the perfect cheesecake takes time, effort, and space, especially if you're making over 50 different types, so it probably wouldn't be feasible for each restaurant to bake everything on site.

However, pretty much everything else is made from scratch in the restaurant, even the sauces and dressings. Employees often speak about the extensive operations going on behind the kitchen doors, and you can taste the freshness in a lot of dishes. Cooks at The Cheesecake Factory go through intense training to learn the recipes behind the 250-plus items on the menu, and they head to work early in the morning to prep everything. Even the front-of-house staff are trained to taste the food and spot if something is off.

The cheesecakes are reportedly pulled out of the freezer a day before serving, and the most popular is the original cheesecake, which is still made using the same recipe originally used by founder Evelyn Overton. We ranked eight Cheesecake Factory cheesecake flavors from worst to best and are in agreement: Frozen or fresh, it's always delicious.