Former President Barack Obama compared the White House during a campaign rally to Saddam Hussein opening a Cheesecake Factory, triggering a political debate over presidential aesthetics and the restaurant.
Classic Obama snobbery,
wrote Republican strategist Matt Whitlock. The remark ignited a political clash over the image of the White House and the accessibility of American dining.
According to coverage from the Los Angeles Times, Trump and his allies fired back by accusing Obama of elitism.
Republicans Defend Affordable Dining
Conservative commentators and political figures cast the restaurant as a bastion of accessibility for everyday citizens. Matt Whitlock argued the chain is a great option for people who can’t afford a private chef at a Martha’s Vineyard estate.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer defended the brand as a place Americans can afford,
while Scott Jennings claimed Obama hadn’t eaten a dinner that costs less than $250 in years. Has never been in a Cheesecake Factory. Undefeated at condescending to regular folks.
Data Challenges Working-Class Image
Housing blogger and consultant Aziz Sunderji and analysis from The Washington Sun examined where locations actually sit on the economic map. They found geographic clustering with P.F. Chang’s and The UPS Store.
These restaurants tend to be located in upscale malls, defined as those with upscale outlets such as the Apple Store; locations outside malls also tend to be in more expensive areas.
Architecture Reflects California Culture
The eatery opened in 1978 as a modest, shockingly restrained space in Beverly Hills’ elite golden triangle. It offered a lot of food and many cheesecake varieties at reasonable prices in a Rodeo Drive setting known as affordable opulence, drawing inspiration from Wolfgang Puck’s Spago to offer the average Joe a luxury experience before a major expansion in the 1990s.
Rick McCormack, who spoke in a 2017 history of the chain, credited the interior style to a mix that included French limestone floors, Egyptian columns, and Victorian beadboard wood paneling.
We have these French limestone floors, then we throw in some Egyptian columns, Victorian beadboard wood paneling — a really eclectic mix — which most people wouldn’t be brave enough to try.
Rick McCormack, via Eater
The enterprise traces its roots back to the 1940s when Evelyn Overton was inspired by a Detroit newspaper recipe to bake her Original cheesecake. She moved to Los Angeles in 1972 with her husband to open The Cheesecake Factory Bakery and supply restaurants before launching the retail restaurant brand.
Company president David Gordon noted in a 2016 oral history with Vice that the restaurant is a lot like Southern California because there’s a very eclectic group of people that live in California that come from all parts of the country.