Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen facts for kids
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Formerly
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Cheddar's Casual Cafe (1979–2015) |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1979 in Arlington, Texas |
| Founders | Aubrey Good Doug Rogers |
| Headquarters |
,
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 a well-known American restaurant chain. It started in 1979 and is based in Irving, Texas. As of 2018, the company had over 170 restaurants in 28 different states.
History of Cheddar's
Cheddar's was started in 1979 by two people named Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers. The very first restaurant opened in Arlington, Texas. By 1995, there were 10 Cheddar's restaurants. A fun fact is that the name "Cheddar's" was actually suggested by a 5th-grade class! Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers had asked for ideas for their restaurant's name.
By 2003, Cheddar's was doing very well. It was making $150 million in sales from 42 restaurants in 13 states. A company called Brazos Private Equity Partners invested money to help Cheddar's grow even more that year. In August 2006, Cheddar's was making $245 million from 55 restaurants in 15 states. At that time, two other companies, Oak Investment Partners and L Catterton Partners, bought Cheddar's together.
In 2015, the company decided to change its name to Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. This new name highlights that they make their food fresh, "from scratch."
In 2017, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen bought 44 of its franchised restaurants. These restaurants were located in states like Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This purchase meant that Cheddar's then owned 164 of its own restaurants.
On March 27, 2017, a much larger restaurant company called Darden Restaurants announced that it wanted to buy Cheddar's. Darden Restaurants bought Cheddar's from its owners for $780 million. This deal was completed on April 24, 2017. After buying Cheddar's, Darden Restaurants became a very successful company on the stock market that day.
More About Restaurants
- List of restaurant chains
- List of food companies
- List of casual dining restaurant chains
- Cheddar (disambiguation)
