Cheesecake Factory Vs Yard House: Which Chain Has Better Happy Hour Deals?

Half of the "happy" in happy hour comes from scoring alcohol and snacks for extra-low prices, and two contenders for the best chain restaurant happy hour deals are nationwide giant the Cheesecake Factory and the smaller chain Yard House. After researching which restaurant has better deals on cocktails, beer, wine, and food, we found that Cheesecake Factory delivers cheaper specialty cocktails, but Yard House wins for food prices and variety.

Let's start with cocktails. Cheesecake Factory's happy hour is served from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The chain's massive menu of over 250 items offers many drinks, but its smaller happy hour menu only lists five specialty cocktails, all with a base price of $8.50: a mojito, Long Island iced tea, margarita, J.W.'s Pink Lemonade, and whiskey smash (which we think is hands-down the best Cheesecake Factory cocktail).

Yard House offers a standard happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and a "late night" happy hour Sunday through Wednesday from 10 p.m. until closing time. During these times, it takes $2 off its cocktail menu of 28 drinks. While its selection beats the pants off Cheesecake Factory, even its cheapest mixed drinks — the House Margarita and Moscow Mule, both $9.29 — cost 79 cents more than CF's cocktails. YH's two most expensive cocktails — the Smoked Old Fashioned and Grand Patrón Margarita, both $12.79 — are a whole $4.29 more expensive. Yard House is best if you want your pick of fancy sippers, but CF ultimately wins for affordability.

Cheesecake Factory doesn't specify which wines, beers, and well drinks (aka rail drinks) it offers for happy hour. Presumably, the selection draws from its standard dine-in menu. Wines cost $8.50 per 6.5-ounce glass, draft beers cost $4.95 per serving, and well drinks cost $8.50 each.

For happy hour, Yard House takes $2 off all its draft beers and wines when ordered in smaller servings: a 5-ounce wine glass or a 12-ounce beer goblet, 16-ounce pint, or 23-ounce pub glass. A bigger 9-ounce glass of wine gets $3 off, and the comically tall 32-ounce "half yard" beer glasses are $4 off. Yard House prides itself on offering tons of styles of beer, from stouts to IPAs and golden ales. Its wine list boasts multiple reds, whites, and sparkling bottles, plus one rosé. Unlike CF, YH serves spirits like whiskey, tequila, and cognac at happy hour for $2 off.

During happy hour, Yard House's cheapest red wine (called Screen Press) is $6.49 per glass and its cheapest white (Eos) is also $6.49. That's $2.01 cheaper than the Cheesecake Factory, but remember that CF's glasses are 1.5 ounces larger. And while YH's fancier brews can command higher prices, its cheapest beers cost $4.99 per pint or goblet, just 49 cents more than CF's beers. If you want beer for the whole table, YH's discounted half yards are certainly tempting, but for the most affordable wines and brews, the two chains' prices are comparable.

Without delicious bar food to soak up the liquor, happy hour isn't quite as happy. Thirteen of the best Cheesecake Factory appetizers are sold for $10.95 each during happy hour, plus 15 small plates for $9.95 each, totaling 28 dishes. Judging by customers' social media posts, all the dishes are fully-sized, from Hot Spinach and Cheese Dip and Factory Nachos (both down $7 from their usual prices) to Roadhouse Sliders (down $4). Even better, the Cheesecake Factory's famous brown bread is also served for free.

During happy hour, Yard House offers several popular appetizers and all six of its pizzas at half price, totaling 20 dishes. The two cheapest happy hour apps are the Brussels sprouts ($4.50) and spicy za'tar hummus ($5.75), while the most expensive are the poke nachos and chicken nachos (both $8). We think YH's poke nachos are the absolute best chain restaurant nachos, and its boneless wings and chicken lettuce wraps are also mighty tasty.

Cheesecake Factory offers more full-size appetizers, but even Yard House's most expensive app is $2.95 cheaper than CF's base appetizer price. When comparing similar dishes, like each chain's calamari and spinach dips, CF's portions may be a little bigger, but the serving sizes are comparable. Yard House wins for cheaper food on average, and it's also the place to go if you're craving pizza. However, if you only eat the Cheesecake Factory's free bread during happy hour, you'll spend no money on food at all.