They say there's no such thing as bad publicity.If that's true it's been a golden week for the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain.The furore began when former President Obama, stumping for Democrats in Ohio this week ahead of the midterms, joked about President Trump's White House refurbishments, saying they looked "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.
Just gold everywhere."The late Iraqi dictator was known for building lavish palaces, with gold walls, cabinets of gold-plated rifles, a golden throne and of course plenty of depictions of the man himself.Trump is also well-known for his love of anything gilded and Obama joked he'd been "supergluing gold medallions to the mantel in the Oval Office," while also paving over the Rose Garden and "building a ballroom that's bigger than the White House."And the Cheesecake Factory? The beloved U.S.restaurant chain was started in 1978 by David Overton, whose mother reportedly made a fine cheesecake, and now has 218 locations across the country and an annual revenue of $1.03 billion. But it's as well known for its kitschy decor as its food, with The Atlantic writer Elaine Godfrey describing it in an article this week "as if ancient Egypt and Tuscany had a baby in Las Vegas."Obama first made the "home renovations" remarks at the political rally on Saturday, where he also portrayed the Trump administration as out of touch with ordinary Americans suffering from a cost of living crisis and the economic consequences of the president's war in Iran.Obama said the Trump administration had resulted in "two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption" and that those at the helm were not "serious people."The administration was quick to respond, with President Trump defending his taste, saying: "I've taken care of the White House, I've fixed it with the finest artisans in the world.""The White House was in terrible shape.
The White House is now in the best shape it's been since 1792," he told reporters when asked about Obama'...