Cheesecake Factory
Chicago, Illinois
The 12th Cheesecake Factory restaurant, an entirely handmade prototype designed for the chain’s entry to the Chicago market and to attract investors for expansion. Although located in a basement, it became the highest grossing restaurant in the Midwest and the leader for all company restaurants, with sales exceeding $1,300 per square foot. The chain now has 190 stores.
David Overton, the founder of The Cheesecake Factory, left Detroit to become a rock and roll drummer in Los Angeles in the late 1960’s. He opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills in 1978, with an enormous 250-item menu reflecting the hybrid demographics of LA – a mixture of dishes from the Americas, Europe and Asia. The designs created by JMA reflect the style of psychedelic rock and roll posters, the grand cafes of France memorialized by ex pat artists like Picasso and Hemmingway and elements of ancient Asian artwork collected by Overton.
Credits
Architect of Record: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Interior Desgin: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Lighting Design: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Furniture Design: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Artwork: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Graphics and Signage: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Kitchen Planning: Jordan Mozer & Associates, Ltd
Product Design and Associated Manufacturing: Mozer Studios
Photography: David Clifton