The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated 401(k) Review & Grade
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated 401(k) Plan
Calabasas Hills, CAAccommodation & Food Services5,656 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$405Employer $ per active participant
$1,617Employee $ saved per active participant
0.27%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$96.9MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity35.0 / 5070th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost6.4 / 2525th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.8 / 1579th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
Total score56 / 100 · Grade C
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Accommodation & Food Services plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (104 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 70th |
| Lower admin cost | 25th |
| Employee saving | 79th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 15% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Cheesecake Factory Incorporated put in about $405 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($244). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.27% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $2,290,918 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $9,143,304 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,983,814 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $240,419 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $39,738 |
| Benefits paid out | $8,374,035 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $79.4M / $96.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 5,885 / 5,427 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,674 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Holthouse Carlin and Van Trigt LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $200,681 reported compensation |
| Global Retirement Partners, LLC | $39,738 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013110052NAL0000517747001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 51-0340466, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.