Scratch Kitchen

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is a U.S. casual dining brand that serves familiar, value-oriented comfort food prepared in-house from scratch. Its menu centers on approachable classics such as chicken tenders, ribs, burgers, salads, and shareable appetizers, with full-service dining rooms and a bar that support both sit-down meals and steady takeout volume. Locations are typically freestanding restaurants that function as everyday family options as well as casual occasion destinations.

The concept began in 1979 in Arlington, Texas, when the first restaurant opened under the name Cheddar’s Casual Café. From the start, the founders focused on cooking as much of the menu as possible in the restaurant’s own kitchen instead of relying on heavily processed items. Over time, that approach helped the brand build a following across Texas and nearby states. As the chain expanded, it updated its name to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen to more clearly signal its emphasis on made-from-scratch comfort food.

A key milestone came in March 2017, when Darden Restaurants, Inc., one of the largest full-service restaurant operators in North America, acquired Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen for approximately $780 million in cash. The acquisition placed Cheddar’s alongside Darden’s portfolio of established national brands, giving it access to larger-scale capital, shared infrastructure, and seasoned operating and development teams. Cheddar’s now operates as a wholly owned, corporate-run brand within Darden’s “Other Businesses” segment.

As of December 2025, Cheddar’s operates as part of Darden’s roughly 2,140-restaurant system across the United States and Canada, although Darden does not publicly disclose Cheddar’s individual unit count in headline reporting. The chain maintains a sizable multi-state footprint, with a concentration in suburban trade areas across the South, Sunbelt, Texas and surrounding states, and select Midwestern markets. All restaurants are company-operated under Darden, with no franchised locations.

Over roughly the last five years, Cheddar’s has continued to evolve within Darden’s centralized platform. The brand has benefited from ongoing investment in new locations and remodels as Darden deploys capital across its portfolio. Growth has focused on disciplined new-unit development in strong suburban corridors, along with relocations and renovations that keep existing assets competitive. The concept often shows up as a freestanding, full-service restaurant on outparcels or prominent pads near power centers and major retail corridors, where it can tap into existing traffic and contribute consistent lunch and dinner visitation.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen represents a seasoned, corporate-backed full-service user with a recognizable casual dining offering and a track record within established retail nodes. The chain’s alignment with Darden’s multi-brand strategy means site selection and long-term occupancy decisions are driven by a national real estate and development team, providing counterparties with centralized contacts, institutional credit backing, and an operator that thinks in terms of portfolio positioning and long-term trade area coverage.