David M. Overton is the founder, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Cheesecake Factory, Inc., the ninth largest restaurant company in the United States measured by market capitalization.

Born in April 1946 in Detroit, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, Overton attended Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

 and earned a bachelor's degree in Economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 and History in 1967. He moved to San Francisco to attend Hastings College of Law, but in 1968 he left his law studies to become a rock-'n'-roll drummer for the Billy Roberts Blues Band. With the band, he played many of the clubs and ballrooms that were famous in San Francisco during the late 1960s. 1 In 1971 he convinced his parents to move their bakery from the city of Detroit to Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, and he joined their bakery business full time in 1975.

In 1978, David Overton opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

. His goal was to showcase a model dessert specialty restaurant for prospective foodservice customers of the wholesale bakery. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of offering an eclectic menu, big portions, and signature cheesecake

Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...

s, and the chain became a multi-million dollar sales performer. The company went public in 1992.