The Cheesecake Factory on Thursday said its first quarter profits rose 97 percent as recession-weary diners began returning to the casual restaurant chain.

After the markets closed, the Calabasas Hills company reported net income of $18.7 million (31 cents per share), compared with $10 million (17 cents) a year earlier. Revenue rose 3 percent to more than $405 million.

The earnings results were 5 cents per share higher than the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Analysts expected revenue of nearly $340 million.

Overall sales at restaurants open at least 18 months were up 2.8 percent, including a 2.7 percent rise at Cheesecake Factory locations and a 7 percent improvement at the company’s smaller Grand Lux Cafe chain.

Chief Executive David Overton said earlier cost-cutting and efficiencies put in place at the height of the recession continue to help the bottom line.

“Our focus on retaining the savings from the cost management initiatives that we implemented last year, combined with realizing $5.5 million in savings in the first quarter of this year, were important factors in our ability to steadily drive operating margins back toward historical levels,” said Chief Executive David Overton in a press release.

Shares, which earlier closed up $1.43, or 5 percent, to $30.46 on strong earnings from other companies in its sector, fell 6 percent in after-market Nasdaq trading.