Cheesecake Factory Factory Chopped Salad: Price & Calories (2026)
The lighter version of Cheesecake Factory Factory Chopped Salad costs exactly the same as the regular one, $16.95 to $19.95, and the swap takes the plate from 780 calories down to 530. That is the whole trick of this salad: you pay nothing extra for the lighter plate, but the lighter plate is not lighter on everything, because its sodium climbs from 1,360mg to 1,660mg while the protein stays put at 34g. The official description is short and exact: julienne romaine, chicken breast, tomato, avocado, corn, bacon, blue cheese and apple with Our Vinaigrette. The $16.95 to $19.95 range comes from 21 location menus checked November 5, 2026, the 50-store dataset agrees with it, and the calories are from the brand's published guide.
Romaine, chicken and apple: what the menu actually lists
The standard salad is a "Delicious Blend of Julienne Romaine, Chicken Breast, Tomato, Avocado, Corn, Bacon, Blue Cheese and Apple with Our Vinaigrette", word for word on 20 of the 21 menus checked, and the SkinnyLicious version swaps only the dressing for Our SkinnyLicious Vinaigrette. That is the whole ingredient list, and it matters, because two words on our own homepage card do not belong to it: the card calls the bacon applewood and the dressing balsamic, and neither word appears anywhere official. The dressing is named only as Our Vinaigrette, with no flavour or base verified, so this page describes it by that name and nothing more. The chicken is Chicken Breast, not grilled and not any other preparation, on every menu except one store, which is covered in the calories section below.
How much does Factory Chopped Salad cost?
Fourteen of the 21 menus land at $18.50 to $18.95, which pulls the median to $18.50 even though the full $16.95 to $19.95 spread is three dollars wide. Fourteen of the 21 stores charge $18.50 or $18.95, so most of the country sits within 45 cents of the median, five stores charge the $16.95 low end, and two charge the $19.95 top end. The 50-store dataset agrees on the range exactly, with the same $16.95 to $19.95 and a median of $18.95. There is no lunch-sized version and no happy hour price for this salad, so the range above is the price whenever you order it.
| Source | Price |
|---|---|
| 21 official location menus (range) | $16.95–$19.95 |
| 21-menu median | $18.50 |
| Most stores (14 of 21) | $18.50–$18.95 |
| 50-store dataset (range) | $16.95–$19.95 |
| 50-store median | $18.95 |
The SkinnyLicious version costs the same: what actually changes?
Both versions cost exactly the same at every one of the 21 stores sampled, down to the cent, which makes this the only post in the series where the lighter plate is a free swap. What changes is the plate itself: the SkinnyLicious version drops 250 calories, from 780 to 530, and cuts the fat nearly in half, from 59g to 29g. What does not change is the protein, stuck at 34g in both, and what goes the wrong way is the sodium, which climbs from 1,360mg to 1,660mg, and the carbs, which tick up from 34g to 36g. So the swap is a real saving on calories and fat, paid for with more salt, and the honest way to order it is to want the lighter plate and accept the saltier one. The dressing is the only named difference on the menu, Our SkinnyLicious Vinaigrette in place of Our Vinaigrette, and no separate SkinnyLicious price exists anywhere to quote.
| Version | Calories | Fat cal | Total fat | Protein | Sodium | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 780 | 530 | 59g | 34g | 1,360mg | 34g |
| SkinnyLicious | 530 | 260 | 29g | 34g | 1,660mg | 36g |
Where do 780 calories come from in a chopped salad?
Most of the 780 calories come from fat: 530 of them, which is 68 percent of the plate, on 59g of total fat and 11g of saturated fat. That is the price of a salad built on avocado, bacon and blue cheese rather than on leaves alone, and it is why a chopped salad can out-eat a pasta lunch without looking like it. The rest of the row is steadier: 34g of protein, 34g of carbohydrates with 10g of fiber, 17g of sugar sitting in a salad whose sweet ingredients are apple and corn, and 1,360mg of sodium, which carries no sodium warning in the guide. At 780 calories it is the lightest salad post so far, against Cobb Salad at 1,480, and the SkinnyLicious version at 530 is the lightest full plate in the whole series. One store breaks the pattern and should not be quoted: Chesterfield lists 750 calories for the standard salad and 500 for the SkinnyLicious one, with grilled chicken instead of chicken breast, against the guide and the other 20 menus, so this page uses 780 and 530.
| Measure | Standard |
|---|---|
| Calories | 780 |
| Calories from fat | 530 |
| Total fat | 59g |
| Saturated fat | 11g |
| Trans fat | 0.5g |
| Cholesterol | 85mg |
| Sodium | 1,360mg |
| Carbohydrates | 34g |
| Fiber | 10g |
| Sugar | 17g |
| Protein | 34g |
Is Factory Chopped Salad gluten-free?
It is marked Gluten Free Upon Request on all 21 sampled menus, the second post in the series where the marker is real, and the guide backs it with a dedicated gluten-free preparation row. Here the row runs the wrong way: the gluten-free preparation is 870 calories, 90 more than the standard 780, with fat up to 67g and sodium up to 1,470mg, while the protein holds at 34g. That is the opposite of Evelyn's Favorite Pasta, where the gluten-free rows were lighter than the standard plate, and it is a useful reminder that gluten-free does not mean lighter, only made without gluten. The menu's footnote is clear that the restaurants are not allergen or gluten-free environments, so if gluten matters to you, the server is the person to ask. For the numbers behind every salad, see the chopped salad nutrition numbers listed the same way.
| Preparation | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 780 | 34g | 1,360mg |
| Gluten-free | 870 | 34g | 1,470mg |
Is Factory Chopped Salad a full meal?
Yes. Our own salads page already answers this one in its FAQ: the salad is served as a full entree portion and is large enough to work as a complete meal on its own, not a side dish. The numbers back that up, with 34g of protein and 780 calories in a single bowl, which is more protein than most appetizers on the menu and more calories than a lunch-sized pasta. Order it as the meal and you will not need a second plate; order it as a side and you will have ordered a second meal by mistake.
Chopped or Cobb: picking the salad that eats like a meal
Factory Chopped is the lighter and the cheaper of the two salads. It runs 780 calories at $16.95 to $19.95, while Cobb Salad runs 1,480 calories at $19.95 to $23.50, so the gap is 700 calories and a few dollars in the same direction. The plates share chicken breast, avocado, bacon and blue cheese, then part ways: Factory Chopped adds corn and apple in a vinaigrette, while Cobb adds egg and mixed greens, and the chopped cut means every forkful carries a little of everything. Pick Factory Chopped when you want the lightest salad on the menu and the lower price. Pick Cobb when you want the bigger, egg-and-bacon plate and the 700 extra calories do not bother you.
What readers ask about the Factory Chopped Salad
The salad is $16.95 to $19.95, and the $18.50 median is what most menus charge, with 21 of them behind the range.
The standard salad has 780 calories and the SkinnyLicious version has 530 calories, according to the official Summer 2026 nutrition guide.
It does. At every one of the 21 stores sampled, both versions carry the same price. The SkinnyLicious version changes the calories and the dressing, not the price.
It is marked Gluten Free Upon Request on the official menu, and the guide carries a gluten-free preparation row at 870 calories. The kitchens are not gluten-free environments, so ask your server before you order it that way.
Yes. It is served as a full entree portion, large enough to work as a complete meal on its own, not a side dish.
No. The official description lists chicken breast, so it is a chicken salad, not a vegetarian dish.
Factory Chopped is 780 calories at $16.95 to $19.95, while Cobb Salad is 1,480 calories at $19.95 to $23.50. Factory Chopped is the lighter and cheaper of the two salads.
Should you order Factory Chopped Salad?
Do not order it expecting a side salad, because it arrives as a full entree, the lightest salad on the menu at the lowest salad price in this series. The SkinnyLicious version saves 250 calories and adds 300mg of sodium, so the saving has a price, and the gluten-free marker means on request, not by default, so tell your server. Cobb is the full-meal salad when a bigger salad is what you want, and this one is the light one, not the small one.