Cheddar

Casual Dining Restaurantscheddars.com

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a US casual dining restaurant chain owned by Darden Restaurants, operating 160+ locations across 20+ states. It serves families and individual diners with scratch-cooked homestyle comfort food via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and a mobile app.

Company typePrivate
Founded1978
HeadquartersIrving, United States
Headcount5,001–10,000
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Cheddar does

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a US casual dining restaurant chain operating as a subsidiary brand of Darden Concepts, Inc., within the publicly traded Darden Restaurants, Inc. conglomerate (NYSE: DRI). The brand operates 160+ company-owned restaurant locations across more than 20 US states spanning the Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions. Its core offering is homestyle American comfort food prepared using a scratch cooking methodology, with signature items including Honey Butter Croissants, Santa Fe Spinach Dip, Baby Back Ribs, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, Monte Cristo Sandwich, and Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders.

The company generates revenue through dine-in restaurant sales, takeout, and third-party delivery via an Uber Eats partnership, with the same menu and pricing applied across dine-in and delivery channels. Supporting revenue streams include traditional and digital gift card sales, and the eClub loyalty program offering free chips and queso, member-only promotions, and birthday rewards. Pricing features weekday lunch specials starting at $8.79 (Monday-Friday until 3pm) and family bundles. Customer engagement is managed through a dedicated mobile application (iOS and Android), a digital waitlist system with text notifications, website-based online ordering, and social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter). A gluten-sensitive menu, comprehensive nutritional and allergen information, and the Harvest food donation program (redistributing approximately 8,000 lbs of surplus food monthly to 150+ food banks) round out the operational and social profile of the brand.

Cheddar firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Cheddar
Legal name: Darden Concepts, Inc.
Website: https://cheddars.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1978
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 5,001–10,000 employees
Short description: Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a US casual dining restaurant chain owned by Darden Restaurants, operating 160+ locations across 20+ states. It serves families and individual diners with scratch-cooked homestyle comfort food via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and a mobile app.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Cheddar industry classification

Industry

Product category: Casual Dining Restaurants
NAICS: Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
SIC: Food And Kindred Products (2000)
akta.pro primary industry: Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)
akta.pro secondary industry: Family-Style Restaurants (THAFACAC)

Keywords

Casual dining restaurants
Homestyle comfort food
Scratch kitchen cooking
Restaurant delivery service
Family dining chains

Where Cheddar is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Irving
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

Cheddar business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining in at restaurant locations ordering from full menu including appetizers, entrees, desserts, and beverages
Delivery and Takeout Orders: Online ordering for takeout and delivery through company website and mobile app, with delivery handled via Uber Eats partnership
Gift Cards: Sale of traditional gift cards in-restaurant and online, plus eGift Cards for virtual gifting
eClub Membership: Loyalty program offering free chips and homemade queso, member-only offers, cooking tips, and complimentary birthday desserts

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Weekday Lunch Specials

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Cheddar product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen operates a casual dining restaurant chain serving scratch-made homestyle American comfort food at company-owned locations across 20+ US states. The brand offers dine-in service at 160+ restaurants, complemented by online ordering for takeout, a mobile app enabling order-ahead and waitlist management, and delivery via an Uber Eats partnership. Signature menu items include Baby Back Ribs, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, Santa Fe Spinach Dip, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, Monte Cristo Sandwich, and Honey Butter Croissants, all prepared in-house using scratch cooking methods.

Product overview

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a homestyle American comfort food restaurant chain operating as a single unified brand. The core product is the restaurant dining experience featuring scratch-made dishes. Supporting products and services include: a mobile app for iOS and Android enabling ordering and waitlist management; delivery service via Uber Eats partnership; an eClub loyalty program; gift cards (physical and eGift); online ordering through the website; a gluten-sensitive menu; nutritional and allergen information resources; and the Harvest food donation program. Signature menu items include Baby Back Ribs, Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, Santa Fe Spinach Dip, Monte Cristo Sandwich, and Grilled Salmon. The company is owned by Darden Concepts, Inc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Restaurant Dining Homestyle American comfort food restaurant chain offering dine-in service at 160+ company-owned locations across 20+ US states. Known for scratch-made dishes including baby back ribs, chicken tenders, pot pie, and honey butter croissants.
Cheddar's Delivery Service
Cheddar's Mobile App
Cheddar's eClub Loyalty Program
Cheddar's Gift Cards
Cheddar's Online Ordering

Companies that use Cheddar

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Cheddar technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Cheddar partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUber Eats serves as the third-party delivery partner for Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, delivering restaurant favorites to customers' homes. Delivery and service fees apply and vary by location. Same menu and prices as dine-in.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Cheddar competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Denny's: 24/7 family casual dining chain with a homestyle comfort food menu spanning breakfast through dinner. Comparable to Cheddar's on family value-positioning, comfort food menu, and broad geographic reach across US states.
Golden Corral: Family-focused casual dining buffet chain serving homestyle American food. Comparable to Cheddar's on family value-positioning, comfort food, and multi-state US footprint.
TGI Fridays: Casual dining American restaurant chain known for burgers, ribs, and bar-centric dining. Comparable to Cheddar's on American comfort food menu, dine-in casual experience, and value-tier pricing.
Applebee's: National casual dining chain owned by Dine Brands offering affordable American comfort food with dine-in, takeout, and delivery. Closely comparable to Cheddar's on menu positioning, price point, and family dining focus.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Homestyle American comfort food chain with a Southern skew and family dining positioning. Comparable to Cheddar's on menu (comfort food, scratch preparation) and family-friendly dining occasions.
Chili's Grill & Bar: Casual dining chain operated by Brinker International serving American comfort food with strong value-positioning, online ordering, and delivery. Direct competitor on price, menu, and family bundle offerings.
Bob Evans Restaurants: Homestyle American comfort food chain with a farm-fresh positioning, comparable to Cheddar's scratch-cooking positioning and family breakfast/dinner occasions. Recently restructured to focus on standalone restaurants.
Texas Roadhouse: Casual dining steakhouse chain with strong scratch-cooking and value positioning. Comparable to Cheddar's on American comfort food, hand-prepared menu items, and family dining occasions.

Broad incumbents

LongHorn Steakhouse: Another major Darden-owned casual dining brand focused on steaks and American fare. Comparable as a sibling brand sharing Darden's operational infrastructure and casual dining positioning.
Olive Garden: Largest brand within Darden Restaurants, offering Italian-American casual dining. Sister brand within the same parent conglomerate and shares operational scale, supply chain, and corporate resources with Cheddar's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Cheddar financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Cheddar leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Cheddar funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Cheddar M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Cheddar

What does Cheddar do?

Is Cheddar a public or private company?

Cheddar is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Cheddar founded?

Cheddar was founded in 1978. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.

Where is Cheddar based?

Cheddar is headquartered in Irving, United States, in the North America region.

How does Cheddar make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are delivery and Takeout Orders, gift Cards and eClub Membership.

Who are Cheddar's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Denny's, Golden Corral, TGI Fridays, Applebee's, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Chili's Grill & Bar, Bob Evans Restaurants and Texas Roadhouse. Broad incumbents are LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden.

Does Cheddar have an API?

No public API is recorded for Cheddar.

What industry is Cheddar in?

Cheddar's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAF, Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFACAC, Family-Style Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 2000.