7 Restaurant Chains That Still Make Their Own Desserts In-House
Fun fact: Many restaurants don’t actually make their own desserts. Instead, they rely on commercial food distributors (like US Foods or Sysco) or local commercial bakeries. However, some pride themselves on in-house desserts, making them from scratch or simply baking pre-assembled items. Where can you get fresh desserts that are made in-house? Here are 7 restaurant chains that still make their own desserts in-house.
The Cheesecake Factory
It would be a sin if a restaurant dubbed The Cheesecake Factory didn’t make its own desserts. However, the restaurant doesn’t exactly make each dessert in-house. Instead, the brand has large-scale bakery production facilities to make all of its signature cheesecakes and specialty cakes from scratch. Then, they ship them fresh to their restaurant locations.
The Capital Grille
Similar to upscale independent restaurants, The Capital Grille employs an in-house pastry chef at every location. According to its website, “our pastry chef is the first to arrive each day (before dawn, no less) to begin crafting the day’s confections — all of which are made from scratch.”
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Maggiano’s Little Italy preps and bakes its classic Italian desserts—such as tiramisu, warm apple crostada, and Gigi’s butter cake—fresh in-house daily. Maggiano’s employees have even confirmed this. “Honestly, [the] majority of everything is made fresh in-house when you order it,” one wrote on Reddit.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Ruth’s Chris Steak House maintains a scratch-kitchen approach for distinct dessert menu items, proudly preparing items like their homemade-style cheesecake and bread pudding in-house. The cheesecake is its crown jewel.
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery
Perkins bakes its desserts and pastries in-house daily; however, some elements may arrive pre-made, and then staff or designated morning bakers handle the daily baking, assembly, and finishing of items. So, technically, everything is baked “in-house” and comes fresh out of the oven. “Yes that I know of everything is freshly baked,” an employee wrote in an Indeed post. “They come frozen and are thawed. Or they are pucks (cookies) you throw in an oven. The fruit pies are pre-made, just put in the oven.”
Fogo de Chão
Fogo de Chão prepares traditional Brazilian sweets, like their signature flan and papaya cream, in-house. “Our gaucho chefs’ attention to detail is threaded throughout the meal, all the way to the last bite. These homemade recipes range from light and fruity to decadent indulgence – to make certain the last memory of the meal is as delicious as the first,” the chain says.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen offers five signature desserts: the Legendary Monster Cookie (baked-to-order chocolate chip cookie with ice cream and hot fudge), a massive Hot Fudge Cake Sundae, a multi-layered Carrot Cake with pecans and coconut, a warm Fried Apple Pie, and a Classic Cheesecake, each assembled and cooked in-house. “I guess the real question is what do you consider scratch? Did we bake the dessert in house? Yes. Did we use a box cake mix to make the batter? Also yes. So is that scratch?” a former employee writes on Reddit.