Cheesecake Factory 'SkinnyLicious' menu cuts calories

The dining world's king of calories is screaming uncle.

The Cheesecake Factory, under pressure from calorie counters, advocacy groups and party poopers, today will announce plans to roll out a "SkinnyLicious" menu listing 40 items, from entrees to desserts, with strict calorie guidelines. The tall, thin menu is separate from the main menu.

"It's something America wants," says CEO David Overton. "When you're in this business, you have to please as many people as you can."

In a nation where obesity is at epidemic proportions — and where restaurants are being prodded to list calorie counts on menus — thin is in. Three months ago, Carl's Jr., which boasts about its high-calorie burgers, launched an under-500-calorie Turkey Burger. And Starbucks has rolled out low-cal entrees.

But this move by Cheesecake Factory is the cosmic equivalent of Chuck E. Cheese adding a quiet zone. Between Aug. 8 and the end of September, all 150 locations will roll out 15 entrees under 590 calories and 12 appetizers under 490.

This from the same chain with the dubious distinction of earning the top two slots on the "Worst Foods in America" list from Eat This, Not That. At 2,730 calories, Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta has the calorie equivalent of 14 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts, the book says.

"It used to be the only way you'd get out of Cheesecake Factory eating fewer than 600 calories was if somebody pulled the fire alarm," says David Zinczenko, co-author of Eat This, Not That. "It's really a smart business decision."

Business is business. Cheesecake Factory's same-store sales hit the skids during the recession. Although it's recovered, the pace of growth is tepid. Even then, Cheesecake Factory remains the nation's highest-grossing restaurant chain per unit, with sales at just under $10 million per unit, says Overton.

Now, more of those sales may come with fewer calories. On the "skinny" menu, fresh veggies will replace potatoes on steak and fish entrees. Tacos will have less cheese. And chicken salad will be made with light mayo, Overton says.

"This is the equivalent of naughty but nice," says Jez Frampton, CEO at Interbrand. "It's really no different from McDonald's selling salads."

Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, is skeptical. "I hate to criticize a company for moving in the right direction," she says, but when two in three adults is obese, "maybe this should become their main menu."