No, not The Cheesecake Factory. The Atlanta Cheesecake Company is quite different. As the name suggests, they do sell cheesecakes, but there’s so much more than that. Located in Kennesaw, The Atlanta Cheesecake Company is an interesting concept, offering not only fresh made cheesecakes, but high quality sandwiches, teas, and specialty desserts and custom cakes.

I’ve actually tried almost everything on their menu. The folks at Atlanta Cheesecake company invited me to stop by for lunch one day and sample their food. I’ll get to the food in moment, but first let me give you a little background about Atlanta Cheesescake Company. Three siblings started the Atlanta Cheesecake Company in 1988 in Anniston, AL. This was all based on their grandmother’s cheesecake recipe. With the need for more space and a more metropolitan area, they relocated to Atlanta and have been in their Kennesaw space for several years now.

Today, their Atlanta location is still run by family: headed by Lindsey Kewin and her cousins, Pieter and Clare Birch. I would have never known they were open to the public as they are located in a business complex, but as a long time lover of cheesecake I passed their offices and curiosity got the best of me. I called them up, hoping for a visit to their facility for a taste of cheesecake. Instead I got invited to a delightful lunch of yummy sandwiches, high end teas, and awfully delicious sweets.

A visit to their website, and you’ll see they have just about every cheesecake imaginable. And they will make and deliver these to the US location of your choice for a cost of $29.95 plus Fedex Shipping Charges. If you want to stop by and choose one of their already made cheesecakes out of their display case, the cost is $24.95. The 9 inch cakes feed approximately 12 people.

Personally, I sampled 4 of their cheesecakes, but you can bet I’ll be back for more.
Vanilla Bean – traditional and very satisfying
Cinnamon Roll – very sweet and very rich, almost forgot I was eating cheesecake
Amaretto – bold Amaretto taste
Raspberry – exceptional with the sauce even baked into the middle of the cake.

So, upon visiting, I was able to sit down with the managers of Atlanta Cheesecake Company, Lindsey, Pieter and Clare and find out a little more about their concept. Their goal is to expand from being a offering only cheesecakes and desserts, to offering sandwiches, healthy sides and teas, with the cafe / grab and go concept. So, they don’t offer waiter service. The idea is for customers to select the sandwich and side of their choice from the refrigerator case and either enjoy it in the comfort of their relaxing cafe or take it with them.

Lindsey says they aim to be somewhere in between fast food and casual dining. How so you ask? Well, the idea is simple, they use high quality, fresh ingredients and everything is made on site. So, quite the opposite of fast food. But to keep prices low, they don’t offer table service. So, you have the quality of a sit down type of restaurant but because there is no waiter service the prices are somewhat lower.

It is so peaceful and relaxing inside their cafe. I hate to compare it to anything, but think of it like a prettier version of Starbucks (yes they have free WIFI). Lindsey told me all the furnishings were either hand picked by her mother or custom made from a drawing by her mother. There is great attention to detail here. Just glancing around, I instantly could tell that a lot of planning and focus went into the design.

Let’s get back to my lunch. As I said, Lindsey invited me to have lunch at the Atlanta Cheesecake Company. As of the time of this post, they’ve been offering sandwiches for about a month. I was expecting a couple different sandwiches to try. But they really outdid themselves and made a sample of each sandwich on the menu! I really think Foodie Buddha needs to add this place to his sandwich tour.

While I did want to try each sandwich myself, I thought it would be a good idea to get feedback from others as well. So, I let several of my coworkers try some of the other sandwiches (tuna salad, pimento cheese, and chicken salad). When asked for their feedback, the words I heard most often were “fresh”, “homemade”, “unique” and “when can we go there?” Yes, I was a hero that day.

Out of the sandwiches I tasted, my favorites are the Roast Beef Salad, Hawaiian Ham, and Deviled Egg. Roast Beef Salad Sandwich? Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it is so delicious. And there was something special mixed in (nutmeg?) that gave it that extra umph. The Hawaiian Ham was perfection with actual small pieces of pineapple mixed in with the cheese and mayo. The Deviled Egg was literally falling out of the sandwich there was so much packed in the sandwich. And I liked the fact that they didn’t go overboard on the mayo, it was just enough.

But these sandwiches are a lot more than the meat inside them. The bread of which there are 2 kinds (white and 15 grain) is high quality. You know how sometimes you get a sandwich and by the time you actually get home to eat it, the bread is buckling from the mayo or other liquid? Not the case here. And what’s more, I had to keep a couple sandwiches over night as I just couldn’t eat them all in 1 day, and even the next day the bread was still intact and the tomato and lettuce were still completely fresh tasting.

I’d be remiss in my review if I didn’t mention the sides. Continuing with the better for you trend, sides offered are fruit cup (mixed with blueberries, strawberries and cantaloupe), Coleslaw (light on the mayo – thumbs up), and Mashed potato salad (good flavor with bits of egg mixed in as well). They do carry chips as well.

Sandwiches are priced between $4 and $5, with sides being only $0.99.

Located at the corner of Shiloh and Wade Green Road, there is a Starbucks just around the corner from Atlanta Cheesecake Company. I asked Lindsey if they planned on staying open later in the evening to compete with Starbucks. While that may be an option in the future, she says they want to get the cafe a steady stream of repeat customers before expanding hours. The cafe /retail side of the business is quite new for them, so I think they are doing the right thing by slowly expanding. Currently, they are open Monday through Friday, from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM, focusing on the lunch crowd.

If you are in the area, stop in and give them a try. If you aren’t in the area, it is well worth a short drive to sample their menu. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Extras: Nearly all packaging is eco-friendly.

Atlanta Cheesecake Company
1300 Shiloh Road
Kennesaw, GA 30144
770-427-4896

Website