Former President Barack Obama has defended his frequent visits to The Cheesecake Factory, pushing back against conservative criticism after he compared White House renovations to the casual dining chain.
Speaking at a campaign event in Atlanta on Wednesday alongside Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, Obama explained that raising two daughters made the restaurant a staple of his family life. He told the crowd that the chain, along with Chuck E. Cheese and California Pizza Kitchen, sustained him for roughly a decade.
The controversy began on Saturday during a campaign rally in Cleveland, where Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s White House decor updates, joking that the interior looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” The remark drew swift blowback from Republicans and the White House, who accused the former president of elitism and being out of touch with ordinary Americans.
Trump responded by labeling Obama a “lousy president” over the comparison. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Cheesecake Factory on Monday, publicly suggesting that the “Martha’s Vineyard set” should give the establishment a try.
Obama seized on the administration’s reactions during his Atlanta appearance, arguing that the White House mobilized more energy to rebut a casual dining joke than to tackle inflation or allegations of corruption. He noted that the president appeared unbothered by the Saddam Hussein comparison, but took deep offense to the restaurant reference.
Obama specifically singled out the Treasury Secretary’s dining trip, pointing out that the official charged with managing the national economy and household affordability dedicated time to staging a restaurant visit.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment regarding the remarks.
Despite the political sparring, the California-based restaurant chain itself remained quiet. Executives at The Cheesecake Factory did not address the controversy during a company earnings call, though the business marked a positive milestone on Tuesday by reporting a third-quarter earnings beat. As of Wednesday’s market close, the company’s stock price had risen more than 100% over the course of the year. The restaurant chain declined to comment publicly on the ongoing back-and-forth.
