Obama's Cheesecake Factory Joke Ignites Elitism Fight as Chain Posts $1.03 Billion in Quarterly Revenue
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 28
Obama's Cheesecake Factory Joke Ignites Elitism Fight as Chain Posts $1.03 Billion in Quarterly Revenue
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 28
Summary
Obama's crack that Trump had the White House looking like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory" turned the restaurant chain into a fresh culture-war flashpoint after his Ohio campaign stop.
Trump allies recast the joke as a swipe at a "regular people" restaurant, and Trump answered with a lengthy defense of White House renovations by the "finest artisans."
Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary worth roughly $600 million, amplified that line by eating at the chain and saying he "always" orders the French Dip Cheeseburger.
The backlash contrasted with the joke's original target—Trump's gold-heavy decor—and with the chain's broad appeal as an "affordable opulence" brand despite $20 burgers and Beverly Hills roots.
Cheesecake Factory reported third-quarter revenue of $1.03 billion on Tuesday, up from $907.2 million a year earlier, underscoring its mainstream popularity beyond the political spat.