Cheesecake Factory eyes expansion as profits swell

In its first year the Cheesecake Factory made no money. Now 35 years old and based in Cala­ba­sas, Calif., the company earns nearly $2 billion a year.

Cheesecake Factory locations gross, on average, more than any other chain in the U.S., Overton said.

The Hono­lulu branch in the Royal Hawaiian Center on Kala­kaua Avenue in Waikiki pulls in $20 million a year.

The company made its market debut in 1992 and enjoyed a 25 percent revenue growth each year through 2007. But when the recession hit, the company’s stock plunged. It went from roughly $30 a share in 2007 to $5 a share in late 2008 before management moved to scale back store openings.

With the stock now near an all-time high at about $41 a share, Cheesecake Factory is slowly easing back into expansion mode. It opened its first licensed international location in Kuwait last year, recently launched an eatery in Dubai and has several more on the way in Asia.