$4.5 million lawsuit settlement from The Cheesecake Factory

Sept. 2005 According to the Young Workers United website, there were a host of allegations. Employees of The Cheesecake Factory said they were not given meal breaks when they worked shifts over six hours (which are mandated by state law), that managers verbally harassed them, and that there were instances of racial and sexual discrimination.

The bulk of the individual claims filed by employees with the Department of Labor Standard Enforcement were wage claims for missed breaks. A California law passed in 2000 entitles workers to one hour of pay if they are not given a meal break, but many who filed said The Cheesecake Factory denied them meal breaks up to March 2003. In an effort to remedy this situation the restaurant had employees come in an hour early, do side work (such as folding napkins), then take a half-hour break but still work a six hour shift with no other rest periods. The Cheesecake Factory settled out of court for $4.5 million! Just another example of this company allowing something that they know is wrong continue until they are sued and forced to pay! Know where you eat.

Hold The Ice!

Scientists say improper hand washing, food handling and equipment maintenance are to blame for high bacteria levels found in local restaurant ice. What was discovered in the ice at many Indianapolis-area bars and restaurants at one of every three restaurants checked, the ice contained more bacteria than toilet water. One of the restaurants that the coliform bacteria was discovered in was The Cheesecake Factory 8701 Keystone Crossing. "By comparison, a sample of water collected from a toilet at WTHR's first floor men's restroom had a coliform bacteria reading of 2. That means nine of the 25 restaurants we visited (36%) served us at least one cup of ice containing more bacteria than the toilet water," stated one of the testers. Federal health officials say high bacteria levels in food (including ice) are responsible for the estimated 70 million cases of food-borne illness each year in the United States, and local researchers say the bacteria helps explain the flu-like symptoms some people get. "Headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever -- those are the things we're talking about," said Ron Turco, director of Indiana's Water Resources Research Center at Purdue University. "Coliforms are telling us there are other disease causing bacteria that could be there, so you definitely don't want them in the ice." Just think about the bacteria levels on the lemon that they grabbed with their dirty hands or the bread the cut and grabbed with those same hands. Just one more thing to think about before you go out to eat. Know where you eat!

Cheesecake Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Edina, MN

In Edina Mn, a former server of The Cheesecake Factory is claiming that she was sexually harassed. some comments supposedly made by management are, "You really like those damn Mexicans, don't you?", "Wow, you just got here and you are already on your knees for the Mexicans", and the manager often made comments about female servers' and customers' breasts, once telling her he was distracted by "titties flopping around everywhere." On Blog sites Cheesecake Factory employees attack her while defending the treatment by management and staff. After the employee complained of the treatment she states that her hours were cut and that the general manager told her "understand and embrace that in her passion of defending her beliefs and actions, she can come across very combative and disruptive." Take into account the treatment employees receive before you spend money at an establishment. Know where you eat!

Creating Hollidays to Feed You the Calories

The Cheesecake Factory has now turned into the Hallmark of the food industry. The Cheesecake Factory now is able to create national holidays, July 30 is when they decided to celebrate National Cheesecake Day. Just another clever ploy to get free advertising and stuff their saturated fat and calories down your throat, all while stuffing their pockets with the profits. Are you aware of the nutritional facts about the deserts that they sell? Well here they are!

Origional Cheesecake: 698 calories, 31g saturated fat, 438g sodium, 59g carbs
Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake: 713 calories, 30g saturated fat, 440g sodium, 65g carbs
30th Anniversary Cheesecake: 1179 calories, 44g saturated fat, 607g sodium, 125g carbs
White Chocolate Rasberry Truffle Cheesecake: 910 calories, 40g saturated fat, 409g sodium, 82g carbs
Stephanie's Red Velvet Cheesecake: 1547 calories, 58g saturated fat, 816g sodium, 128g carbs
Godiva Cheesecake: 1080 calories, 46g saturated fat, 279g sodium, 104g carbs
Fresh Banana Cream : 926 calories, 39g saturated fat, 410g sodium, 83g carbs
Adam's Peanut Butter Fudge Cup Ripple: 1307 calories, 42g saturated fat, 736g sodium, 134g carbs
White Chocolate Carmel Macadamia Nut:1248 calories, 42g saturated fat, 404g sodium, 110g carbs
Lemon Raspberry Cream: 775 calories, 27g saturated fat, 379g sodium, 78g carbs
Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake: 1092 calories, 47g saturated fat, 454g sodium, 90g carbs
Chocolate Coconut Cream: 1058 calories, 42g saturated fat, 341g sodium, 119g carbs
Tiramisu Cheesecake: 779 calories, 32g saturated fat, 387g sodium, 66g carbs
Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake: 930 calories, 39g saturated fat, 349g sodium, 77g carbs
Vanilla Bean: 890 calories, 41g saturated fat, 359g sodium, 74g carbs

Just to list a few of the cheesecakes and after seeing this would you eat any of them?

Restaurant Chain Will Pay $345,000 to Six Male Employees Who Agency Alleged Were Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted

Restaurant Chain Will Pay $345,000 to six male employees who alleged they were repeatedly sexually assaulted at The Cheesecake Factory in Phoenix, Az. The EEOC had charged that six male employees were subjected to repeated sexual harassment at the company’s Chandler Mall location in the lawsuit EEOC v. Cheesecake Factory, Inc., CV 08-1207-PHX-NVW. The allegations against The Cheesecake Factory are that the aggressors were directly touching victims’ genitals, making sexually charged remarks, grinding their genitals against them, and forcing victims into repeated episodes of simulated rape, all while managers witnessed employees dragging their victims kicking and screaming into the refrigerator according to the EEOC. Quote from Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney of the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office, “The evidence was clear, and everyone knew about it. Behind the lavish décor that the company boasts on its web site was a horribly dysfunctional workplace where male workers lived in fear.” When you spend money in these establishments it goes into the pockets of those who tolerated this kind of environment. Keep this in mind the next time that you pick a place to eat out at.

Cheesecake Factory Calories and Nutritional Facts on Special Menu

Now that you have seen what you are feeding to your children, let's take a look at what they expect you to eat. At The Cheesecake Factory they have two menus that they give you. The regular menu and a special menu for those without the attention span to go over the regular one. Nothing on the special menu is under a 1100 calories. An average daily intake of calories for an adult is 2000. More than half of this is in one of these meals. Let's take a closer look at these items on the special menu. What really may suprise you is the saturated fat and sodium content per item.

Cashew Chicken Salad: 1210 calories, 9g saturated fat, 2378g sodium, 92g carbs
Tomato Basil Pasta: 1744 calories, 19g saturated fat, 1907g sodium, 121g carbs
Chicken enchiladas: 1544 calories, 21g saturated fat, 2337g sodium, 142g carbs
Chicken Bellagio: 2131 calories, 33g saturated fat, 2486g sodium, 156g carbs
Caramel Chicken: 1792 calories, 6g saturated fat, 1443g sodium, 258g carbs
Chicken Marcel: 1760 calories, 60g saturated fat, 2453g sodium, 86g carbs
Chicken Di Pana: 1760 calories, 60g saturated fat, 2453g sodium, 87g carbs
Salisbury Chopped Steak: 1304 calories, 47g saturated fat, 1955g sodium, 61g carbs
Fried Shrimp Platter: 1828 calories, 19g saturated fat, 4025g sodium, 192g carbs
New Orleans Shrimp: 1199 calories, 11g saturated fat, 1653g sodium, 128g carbs
Shrimp Franchese: 1387 calories, 31g saturated fat, 1356g sodium, 133g carbs
Pan Seared Salmon: 1165 calories, 33g saturated fat, 710g sodium, 52g carbs
Bar-B-Que Salmon: 1211 calories, 33g saturated fat, 1692g sodium, 98g carbs
Chargrilled Coulotte Steak: 1419 calories, 30g saturated fat, 2695g sodium, 63g carbs

Is anybody hungry for The Cheesecake Factory now that you know what you are putting into your body. And remember that these numbers are without a beverage or bread and butter. Each one of those butter pats is 10% of your daily fat, and each slice of bread another 100 calories. Know where you eat!

Girth Of A Nation! Cheesecake Factory Calorie Listings

Have you ever wondered why The Cheesecake Factory does not publish the nutritional facts about their food on their website, or when you send a request to receive them all you get is a response that currently they are unavailable and that The Cheesecake Factory hopes to have this available in the future? What are they trying to hide from the people consuming their food? I found the answer to this question, and it's a lot! Let's focus right now on the kids menu. If you were to get your child a kids size pasta with alfredo and a glass of apple juice you are looking at 1,989 calories with no refills on the drink or Parmesan cheese on the pasta. There is also 89g of saturated fat, 690g of sodium and 113g of carbs. This is why for the first time in history this current generation has a lower life expectancy than the one before it. Let's view a couple of more "Kid's Menu" items.

Kid's Roadside sliders: 575 calories, 7g saturated fat, 1316g sodium, 58g carbs
Kid's Southern Fried Chicken Sliders: 816 calories, 10g saturated fat, 2049g sodium, 73g carbs
Kid's Mini Corn Dogs: 665 calories, 14g saturated fat, 1624g sodium, 51g carbs
Kid's Pasta With Parmesan: 515 calories, 9g saturated fat, 166g sodium, 69g carbs
Kid's Pasta With Marinara: 507 calories, 2g saturated fat, 651g sodium, 76g carbs
Kid's Pasta With Meat Sauce: 583 calories, 5g saturated fat, 612g sodium, 74g carbs
Kid's Pasta With Alfredo: 1809 calories, 89g saturated fat, 652g sodium, 69g carbs
Kid's Quesadilla: 967 calories, 29g saturated fat, 1699g sodium, 51g carbs
Kid's Quesadilla With Chicken: 1081 calories, 29g saturated fat, 1754g sodium, 51g carbs
Kid's Macaroni and Cheese: 915 calories, 30g saturated fat, 890g sodium, 76g carbs
Kid's Chicken Strips: 808 calories, 8 g saturated fat, 1306g sodium, 69g carbs
Kid's Cheese Pizza: 835 calories, 14g saturated fat, 1504g sodium, 88g carbs
Kid's Pepperoni Pizza: 969 calories, 18g saturated fat, 2015g sodium, 88g carbs
Kid's Grilled Cheese: 805 calories, 21g saturated fat, 1656g sodium, 53g carbs
Kid's Grilled Chicken: 506 calories, 16g saturated fat, 1204g sodium, 33g carbs
Kid's Scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream: 163 calories, 5g saturated fat, 35g sodium, 17g carbs
Kid's Scoop of Vanilla: 153 calories, 6g saturated fat, 30g sodium, 15g carbs
Kid's Scoop of Coffee: 163 calories, 6g saturated fat, 35g sodium, 16g carbs
Kid's Mini Hot Fudge Sundae Vanilla Ice Cream: 325 calories, 12g saturated fat, 30g sodium, 34g carbs
Kid's Strawberries: 70 calories, 3g saturated fat, 12g sodium, 5g carbs


And these are the numbers without a beverage. Some of these meals have more calories than an entire day for a child. What I would like to see is how much sugar is in these food items. Should a responsible parent feed this stuff to their child?