Exhibit 99.1

       The Cheesecake Factory Appoints a Coordinating Director

    CALABASAS HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2003--The
Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (Nasdaq:CAKE) announced today that its
Board of Directors has designated Thomas Gregory as coordinating
director of the Company. In this role, Mr. Gregory will participate in
coordinating the agenda for meetings of the Board as well as other
Board activities with David Overton, the Company's Chairman and CEO.
Mr. Gregory will also serve as the principal liaison between the
Company's independent directors and Mr. Overton. Mr. Gregory has
served as an independent director since the Company's initial public
offering in 1992 and currently chairs the Audit Committee of the
Board.
    Additionally, the Company announced that its Board has established
a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, chaired by Jerome
Kransdorf and composed of the Company's four independent directors.
This new committee succeeds the former Nominating Committee of the
Board. Among its duties, the Corporate Governance and Nominating
Committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the full
Board with respect to corporate governance, as well as identifying and
recommending potential candidates for Board membership and approving
director nominations to be presented for stockholder approval. Mr.
Kransdorf has served on the Company's Board as an independent director
since 1997.
    The Board also approved certain amendments to the Company's
stockholder rights plan. Among other things, these amendments
eliminate a provision in the rights plan that would have prohibited
the redemption of the rights in specified circumstances, including
when a majority of the Board of Directors is comprised of persons who
were not nominated by the Board of Directors in office immediately
prior to the election of the new directors. A complete copy of the
amendments to the rights plan is attached as an exhibit to the
Company's amendment to Form 8-A filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
    "Since our 1992 IPO, our Board and management team have always
been, and continue to be, committed to effective corporate governance
and shareholder value creation," commented Overton. "According to
Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS), the world's leading
provider of proxy voting and corporate governance advisory services,
our Company outperformed more than 85% of the companies in the S&P
hotel, restaurant and leisure industry group and more than 63% of the
companies in the S&P 400 index, as measured by the ISS Corporate
Governance Quotient calculated in connection with our 2003 annual
stockholders meeting. Four of our five directors are independent
directors, and all Board committees are composed entirely of
independent directors. We believe the corporate governance
enhancements just approved by our Board, including the selection of a
coordinating director, establishment of a corporate governance and
nomination committee, and amendments to our stockholder rights plan
will enable us to continue building upon our long-standing track
record of creating excellent shareholder returns."
    The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated operates 70 upscale, casual
dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory(R) name that offer an
extensive menu of more than 200 items with an average check of
approximately $15.78. The Company also operates a bakery production
facility that produces over 50 varieties of quality cheesecakes and
other baked products for the Company's restaurants and for other
leading foodservice operators, retailers and distributors.
Additionally, the Company operates three upscale casual dining
restaurants under the Grand Lux Cafe(R) name in Los Angeles, Chicago
and Las Vegas; one self-service, limited menu "express" foodservice
operation under The Cheesecake Factory Express(R) mark inside the
DisneyQuest(R) family entertainment center in Orlando, Florida; and
licenses three bakery cafe outlets to another foodservice operator
under The Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe(R) name.


    CONTACT: The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated
             Jane Vallaire, 818-871-3000