Are Cheesecake Factory's Portions Getting Smaller? (Reddit Thinks So)

While The Cheesecake Factory has a dauntingly huge menu — more than 250 items to puzzle through when you order — its namesake cheesecake is the star of the show. You can get the rich, creamy desserts as a dine-in option or to-go when you want to enjoy it at home. But folks in the Reddit universe claim the takeout cheesecake portions have fallen victim to "shrinkflation," an economic plague that has similarly hit popular foods at stores like Costco and menu items at fast-food chains like Subway.

Reduced food size seems to be a common story these days, as restaurants struggle to stay in the black in the face of rising costs and economic uncertainties. When food portions shrink and prices stay the same — or, worse, increase — customers are never happy. Redditors who were once content to shell out $10 or more for a huge take-home slice of cheesecake that was big enough to enjoy over multiple sittings or to share with someone else, are now disgruntled to find that cheesecake wedges from their local Factory are no longer filling up the takeout containers (or even coming close). "We have gotten a lot of slices this past year (probably 20 or so) and they get smaller [every time]," one Redditor complained. "They used to touch the sides of the container. Now they barely take up half." Another Reddit user lamented, "This seems like the new normal for them now. I will miss those huge slices that took me [three] days to eat." 

Many disgruntled diners across multiple discussion threads and social media platforms have received cheesecake portions they say are undeniably smaller. While the restaurant chain itself has not addressed the matter, one Cheesecake Factory employee took to the comment threads to shed some possible light on the situation. "[We] have made a good amount of our portion sizes[,] even in entrees[,] slightly smaller in the last year or [two]," the Reddit user said.

Other commenters, however, introducing themselves as employees or former employees, say the issue is poor management at certain locations and misaligned cutting machines that have improperly sliced small wedges as a fluke. Some argued against this, claiming that the machines are purposely set to cut smaller pieces, and get more out of each whole cheesecake. Nevertheless, purported employees maintained that workers are instructed to dispose of such tiny slices, not serve them to customers. One Reddit user posited, "Rapid expansion and an exodus of management through the pandemic years is my thought as to why this slips through." They also encouraged customers to keep an eye on this and let an employee know you'd like a properly portioned slice, and they'll likely replace it for you. 

Despite various workers contesting that reduced portions aren't intentional, another former Cheesecake Factory employee agreed that it's strategic shrinkage. "I have not been affiliated with Cheesecake Factory for a couple of years[,] but around the time I was leaving they were reducing portion sizes of the food they made in-house," the Redditor said. "It wouldn't surprise me if they were also reducing portion sizes on their [cheesecakes] in the factories."