The Cheesecake Factory continues its expansion across the country with a string of new restaurant openings in 2025 in strategic markets in Illinois, Florida, and Texas. The expansion complements the company’s bold strategy to open up to 25 new restaurants this year, riding on its leadership position in the casual dining industry with average unit volumes of $12.3 million. The expansion showcases the brand’s toughness amid shifting consumer preferences and solidifies its commitment to family dining experiences.
Illinois welcoming Naperville’s Block 59 Restaurant
Naperville, Illinois, will soon see its first Cheesecake Factory as part of the redeveloped Block 59 shopping and dining complex in summer 2025. The 8,700-square-foot restaurant aims to hire 310 staff before opening on June 17, adding substantially to the area’s job market. Close to new additions such as Shake Shack and Lazy Dog, the site will have the chain’s namesake 250-menu item and 30 types of cheesecake. The opening is the chain’s seventh Illinois location to complement others in Chicago, Schaumburg, and Oakbrook. The complex is part of Naperville’s evolution into a regional center, with Block 59 designers stressing pedestrian-scale parks and mixed use to bring in a varied population.
Florida’s increasing presence despite tourist demand
Though no particular new Florida locations are named, the state’s current 23 Cheesecake Factory locations, just behind California, show it to be an important expansion market. Its 2019 Orlando Vineland Pointe opening showed its ability to succeed in high-density tourist districts with Art Deco-period styling added to brunch offerings and SkinnyLicious® selections. Experts foresee new Florida locations would have the potential to capitalize on the state’s record 137.6 million tourists in 2024, capitalizing on the brand’s dessert-heavy menu to attract locals and tourists. With the population per Cheesecake Factory unit in Florida sitting at 933,826, strategic downtown and suburban projects could create greater convenience in untapped markets like Jacksonville, which was granted its inaugural store in 2005.
Texas expansion mirrors population trends
Texas, with 19 Cheesecake Factory restaurants as of February 2025, will have even more restaurants to call its own as the company expands across the country. The Dallas store at 7700 West Northwest Highway is an example of the brand’s suburban concept, with weekend brunch and happy hour offers since 2021. New stores will be located in fast-expanding cities such as Austin and San Antonio, where expansion outweighs available restaurant density—Texas has a store per 1.5 million residents. This growth takes advantage of the state’s explosive economy, with Texas gaining 407,000 new jobs in 2024 alone to provide a strong customer base for the chain’s $31 per-meal average ticket.
Strategic vision drives national expansion
The Cheesecake Factory Q1 2025 results reveal a strategic expansion strategy, with revenue growing 4% year-over-year to $927 million and adjusted EBITDA growing 16% to $88 million. A $575 million first half 2025 debt refinancing enhanced the company’s ability to invest in new markets while supporting its industry-leading off-premise sales, accounting for 22% of its sales. Its projected 25 openings—11 already open through April 2025—are focused on high disposable income markets with minimal casual dining competition. California is still the flagship state with 38 locations, but concentration in Illinois, Florida, and Texas is consistent with changing demographic trends and urban redevelopment possibilities.
Economic impact and community integration
New restaurants are economic generators, such as Naperville’s Block 59 project, which expects to be a “center of the community” with public outdoor areas. All locations traditionally generate 200–300 jobs, providing positions in culinary operations, hospitality, and management. The Cheesecake Factory corporate training programs, highlighted in Naperville site hiring, offer career paths in an industry employing 12.3 million Americans. Also motivating localized supply chains is the chain’s dedication to preparing its own desserts—more than 50 varieties of cheesecakes—bakery divisions where ingredients are locally sourced where available.
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