Cheesecake Factory delays earnings filing

Cheesecake Factory Inc., an operator of 110 casual-dining restaurants, said Monday that it would delay the release of third-quarter earnings because of a probe of its stock option grants.

The results were scheduled to be released today.

The Calabasas Hills-based company said in a statement that it would file its results for the third quarter and the second quarter by Nov. 13. That date is the third-quarter deadline set by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company’s shares rose 8 cents to $26.34.

Cheesecake Factory is among more than 140 companies that have disclosed internal or federal probes of option practices.

Also Monday, San Francisco-based CNet Networks Inc., an online publisher of technology news and reviews, said that its third-quarter revenue grew 13% but that it would delay filing its official earnings results until an accounting review of its past stock option grants was completed.

CNet made the announcement after the close of regular trading, during which its shares fell 3 cents to $8.44.