Cheesecake Factory Stays Silent as Google Searches Jump 70% in Obama-Trump Spat

3 articles · Updated · Adweek · Oct 30

Google searches for The Cheesecake Factory rose 70% from the prior week after Barack Obama mocked the White House with a Cheesecake Factory line and Donald Trump praised the chain days later.
The company declined comment, and its Tuesday earnings call omitted any mention of Obama, Trump or the White House despite the burst of national media attention.
That restraint came as the chain posted a second straight record quarter with revenue above $1 billion and comparable sales up 15.2%, results built before the political flare-up.
The episode showed both parties trying to associate with a broadly popular brand whose major markets span California, Florida and Texas and whose newer restaurants include Wichita and suburban Atlanta.
Silence also reduced political and international risk for a company with licensed locations from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to China and Thailand days before a midterm election.