What Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen does

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1979 in Arlington, Texas, and since 2017 operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) under the legal entity Darden Concepts, Inc. The chain operates 180+ full-service restaurants across 29 U.S. states, employing 16,000+ team members and serving 41+ million guests annually. Its core proposition is scratch-made homestyle American comfort food, with signature items including Honey Butter Croissants, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, Homemade Onion Rings, Chicken Tenders (the No. 8 Special), Spasagna, Country Fried Steak, and Grilled Salmon, all prepared on-site from raw ingredients.

The business distributes through company-operated dine-in restaurants, online ordering for pickup, a third-party delivery partnership with Uber Eats, and physical and eGift card sales, with dedicated iOS and Android mobile apps supporting the digital channels. Supporting programs include the eClub email loyalty program (offering member-only deals, free chips and homemade queso upon signup, and complimentary birthday/half-birthday desserts), waitlist management for parties up to six, weekday lunch specials starting at $8.79, family bundles, and dedicated nutritional/allergen and gluten-sensitive menus. Franchise locations exist in select states such as Colorado.

Revenue is generated primarily through dine-in and off-premise food and beverage transactions, with average per-unit volumes not separately disclosed but consolidated within Darden Restaurants' reporting. Community-facing programs include the Harvest Program, which donates an average of 8,500 pounds of food monthly to Feeding America network food banks, and the team member-funded Darden Dimes Emergency Assistance Fund, which has distributed over $34.9 million in grants to 83,000+ team members. Pricing is value-oriented within the casual-dining category, with menu items broadly clustered in the $8-$15 range and additional delivery and service fees for Uber Eats orders.

Name

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

Legal name

Darden Concepts, Inc.

Website

https://cheddars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a casual dining restaurant chain operating 180+ locations across 29 U.S. states, serving scratch-made homestyle American comfort food to value-oriented consumers under Darden Restaurants, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)

Keywords

• Casual dining restaurants
• Homestyle comfort food
• Scratch kitchen cooking
• Full-service dining
• Family meal bundles

Headquarters

HQ city

Irving

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-In Restaurant Sales: Full-service restaurant dining with table service. Guests are seated, order from servers, and dine in the restaurant. Waitlist available for parties up to six.
2. Takeout and Delivery Orders: To-go orders placed online or by phone, with delivery available through third-party partners (Uber Eats). Delivery and service fees apply.
3. Gift Card Sales: Traditional gift cards sold in-restaurant and online; eGift Cards available for virtual gifting. Balance checking available online and by phone.
4. Merchandise and Apparel: Implicit merchandise sales through team member culture branding; no explicit e-commerce merchandise store visible

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen operates a chain of 180+ casual dining restaurants across 29 U.S. states, serving homestyle American comfort food made from scratch daily. Offerings include dine-in service, online ordering with takeout, third-party delivery via Uber Eats, gift cards (traditional and eGift), family meal bundles, and an eClub loyalty program with member benefits such as free chips and queso and complimentary birthday desserts.

Product overview

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a casual dining restaurant chain operated by Darden Concepts, Inc., founded in Arlington, Texas in 1979. The company operates over 180 restaurants across 29 states, serving approximately 41+ million guests annually with a workforce of 16,000+ team members. The core offering is a scratch-made menu of homestyle American classics including burgers, fried chicken, ribs, pot pies, salmon, and their signature Honey Butter Croissants. The product portfolio includes in-restaurant dining, online ordering, Uber Eats delivery, gift cards (physical and eGift), eClub membership with birthday rewards, waitlist management, family bundles, and weekday lunch specials. The company also provides nutritional information and a gluten-sensitive menu for guests with dietary restrictions. Cheddar's emphasizes made-from-scratch cooking and participates in community programs like the Harvest Program for food donation and the Darden Dimes emergency assistance fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Restaurant Dining Sit-down casual dining experience at 180+ full-service restaurant locations across 29 states, featuring table service, waitlist management for parties up to six, and a scratch-made homestyle American comfort food menu including signature items such as Honey Butter Croissants, Homemade Onion Rings, Chicken Pot Pie, and Country Fried Steak. Targeted at individuals, families, and groups seeking an affordable homestyle meal in a welcoming atmosphere.
• Online Ordering and Takeout

Quantifiable outcome

• 180+ restaurant locations with expansion plans in progress
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership enabling Cheddar's to offer delivery of homestyle favorites to customers. Availability varies by location. Delivery and service fees apply in addition to menu prices. This partnership extends Cheddar's reach beyond dine-in and takeout to include home delivery.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Casual dining family-style chain serving homestyle American comfort food in a similar value price tier. Closest direct comp on menu positioning, family-occasion use case, and broad US footprint.
• Texas Roadhouse: Casual dining American chain with comparable family-friendly positioning, scratch cooking emphasis, and broad US presence. Competes for similar family and group-occasion traffic at similar price points.
• IHOP: Casual dining family-style chain focused on breakfast, brunch, and American comfort fare. Overlaps with Cheddar's on family dining occasions, value tier, and broad US footprint.
• Applebee's: National casual dining chain serving American comfort food and bar fare at value price points. Direct overlap on menu category, price tier, dine-in-plus-delivery model, and family/young adult customer base.
• The Cheesecake Factory: Casual dining full-service chain with an extensive American-comfort and signature-item menu. Overlaps with Cheddar's on large-portions, signature-item marketing, and full-service dine-in occasions.
• Bob Evans Restaurants: Family-style restaurant chain focused on homestyle American comfort food, breakfast, and farm-inspired menu. Highly comparable on 'scratch cooking' positioning and family-occasion occasions.
• Golden Corral: Family-focused casual dining chain known for buffet and homestyle American comfort food at value prices. Comparable on family-occasion use case and value-tier positioning.
• Denny's: Iconic 24/7 casual dining chain serving American comfort food at value price points. Direct competitor for breakfast/all-day family dining occasions and value-conscious consumers.

Broad incumbents

• LongHorn Steakhouse: Another core Darden Restaurants brand operating casual dining steakhouses across the US. Comparable as a portfolio sibling sharing parent resources, real estate strategy, and full-service dining model.
• Olive Garden: Flagship brand of Cheddar's parent Darden Restaurants and the largest US Italian casual dining chain. Comparable as a Darden-portfolio sibling with shared supply chain, loyalty platform, and full-service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cheddarskitchen
• Facebookfacebook.com/CheddarsScratchKitchen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheddar's-scratch-kitchen
• Instagraminstagram.com/cheddarskitchen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen