Is The Food In Big Bang Theory's Cheesecake Factory Scenes Real?

Throughout most of "The Big Bang Theory," Penny Hofstadter (Kaley Cuoco) tries to establish herself as a professional actress while spending the majority of her time being a Cheesecake Factory waitress. During her waitressing career, her group of cerebral friends, which includes Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Dr. Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), visit her and order meals. Due to the fact that the "Big Bang Theory" characters seem to enjoy their Cheesecake Factory orders, some fans may be curious if the food on their plates is real.

In a behind-the-scenes video, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg mentioned that their characters are regular Cheesecake Factory customers. Nayyar revealed that actual food was placed before them during moments at the chain restaurant. However, he noted that he and his castmates typically did not consume the dishes while filming.

"The food is real, obviously, but we don't really have time to eat it in the scene, unless it's really good," said Nayyar.

According to the show's cast, not only was the food on the "Big Bang Theory" edible, it was quite tasty. In a May 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment video, Mayim Bialik noted that the sitcom's property master, Scott London, was in charge of creating the characters' preferred cuisines. "Scott is called on to do some very unusual things, especially with his cooking skills, a lot of his props involve cooking," said Bialik.

Melissa Rauch, whose character, Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, was briefly a Cheesecake Factory employee, complimented London's culinary abilities. "Scott has a background as a chef so what we're eating is really delicious and he really tailors the food to each one of us," said Rauch.

The show's executive producer, Steven Molaro, also suggested that the writers of "The Big Bang Theory" used London's talent as a chef to their advantage. He explained that they would have characters consume specific food items that the cast and crew would like to enjoy, such as peppermint brownies. "In the script, it will say 'Bernadette is baking peppermint brownies' 'cause we know that Scott will make it and then we get to eat it. And he's great at it and the cast loves it," said Molaro.

In the Warner Bros. Entertainment video, London shared there was a mishap when doctoring up ramen for Johnny Galecki's character Leonard. He stated that he added too much spice to the experimental physicist's soup, causing Galecki to have an unpleasant experience. "Johnny used to have his Top Ramen but it was a special sauce I made with vegetable bouillon and add a little Sriracha to it. And I remember once I got a little crazy with the hot sauce and he started gagging on the set during the scene," said the prop master with a laugh.