Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen facts for kids
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A Cheddar's in Hendersonville, Tennessee
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Formerly
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Cheddar's Casual Cafe (1979–2015) |
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| Division | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1979 in Arlington, Texas |
| Founders | Aubrey Good Doug Rogers |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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185 company-owned and franchise locations (Jan. 2024) |
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Key people
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John Wilkerson (President) |
| Revenue | $751 million (2023) |
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Number of employees
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23,000 (2023) |
| Parent | Darden Restaurants (2017–present) |
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, which used to be called Cheddar's Casual Cafe, is an American chain of restaurants. It is famous for making its meals from basic ingredients, or "from scratch," right in the restaurant.
The company is owned by Darden Restaurants, which also owns other popular restaurants like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. Founded in 1979, Cheddar's has grown to over 170 locations in 28 states.
Contents
The Story of Cheddar's
Cheddar's has a fun history, from getting its name from students to becoming part of a huge restaurant family.
A Name from a Classroom
In 1979, two friends named Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers opened the very first Cheddar's in Arlington, Texas. When they needed a name for their new restaurant, they asked a fifth-grade class for ideas. The students suggested "Cheddar's," and the name stuck!
The restaurant was a hit. By 1995, there were already 10 Cheddar's locations. The company kept growing, and by 2003, it had 42 restaurants in 13 states.
Growing and Changing
As Cheddar's became more popular, other companies wanted to help it grow even bigger. In 2006, two investment companies bought Cheddar's to help it expand across the country.
In 2015, the restaurant updated its name from Cheddar's Casual Cafe to Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. This was to show everyone that they focus on making fresh, homemade-style food every day.
Joining the Darden Family
A big change happened on March 27, 2017. Darden Restaurants announced that it was buying Cheddar's for $780 million. This meant Cheddar's would now be part of one of the largest restaurant groups in the world.
The deal was completed about a month later, on April 24, 2017. By joining Darden, Cheddar's gained more resources to continue growing and serving its scratch-made meals to more people.
See also
- List of restaurant chains
- List of food companies
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
