Why Everyone Is Obsessed With The Cheesecake Factory's Brown Bread

There are a handful of things a person can post about on Facebook that result in a nearly endless stream of notifications: an engagement, a baby, and "brown bread" from The Cheesecake Factory. This seemingly banal signature item from the large American chain with even larger portions, has long commanded an obsessive following. In a casual and completely non-scientific Facebook crowdsource, the fan love apparent within my own modest friend roster was outsized. Old roommates, ex-colleagues, food media brass, and chefs from all over the country name-dropped favorite items from The Cheesecake Factory like the Chinese chicken salad and the avocado spring rolls, but there was a seemingly endless outpour of love for the brown bread.

Internally, at the chain, the bread is actually referred to as “wheat bread” — and is served gratis in a shiny wire basket alongside sourdough. More importantly, it is continually replenished throughout the meal. Recently, the 40-year-old company decided to capitalize on the “famous brown bread” obsession by boldly taking the item straight from its bread basket and into stores. It hit shelves earlier this year in local grocery chains like Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Safeway, and Vons to the sound of exploding heads. The January news announcement alone generated hundreds media mentions as well as thousands of retweets, likes and comments. The item is available in demi baguettes, sandwich rolls and in sliced sandwich loaves (find it at a store near you with this handy locator) in the bread aisle.

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