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Chuck E Cheese
- Thread starter englanddg
- Start date
BalooChicago
Well-Known Member
CEC? How about Showbiz Pizza, now that's old school.
Funny enough, Showbiz actually bought out Chuck E. Cheese, and then morphed into it because of the strength of the Chuck E. character. Believe it or not, at one point, Chuck was more recognizable to kids 6-8 then Mickey was, according to a study done by Cartoon Q.
As far as old school, CEC was started first, by Nolan Bushnell...the founder of Atari.
DisneyWall-E
Well-Known Member
we had a Showbiz. Loved it as a kid. Now we take my children to CEC.
NemoRocks78
Seized
They demolished my childhood one a few years ago. 
Used to go a ton as a kid. Had many birthday parties there too.
I was madly in love with their pizza until they changed it up a year or so ago. It got to the point where I was begging friends to come with me to get pizza.
Now my girlfriend has children who love CEC, so it's cool to take them, but it just ain't the same without that memorable pizza...
Used to go a ton as a kid. Had many birthday parties there too.I was madly in love with their pizza until they changed it up a year or so ago. It got to the point where I was begging friends to come with me to get pizza.
Now my girlfriend has children who love CEC, so it's cool to take them, but it just ain't the same without that memorable pizza...
They demolished my childhood one a few years ago.
I was madly in love with their pizza until they changed it up a year or so ago. It got to the point where I was begging friends to come with me to get pizza.
Yeah, the new flatbread style pizza is no good compared to the deep dish crust that they used to serve. I have a good idea why they did it, pizza pans were hard to maintain and a huge cost for a store. Pans had several cycles before they were seasoned (something you'd need to do before opening a new store, unless you like your Cut Station to fall apart), and they were an added cost. Now they can use screens alone, like most of the other major delivery joints do.
The salad bar has gotten better, but the sandwiches worse, since CEC decided to ride the "Ciabatta craze" wave a few years ago.
I don't enjoy CEC so much anymore after I left them. My greatest frustration is when I'm in the gameroom, and half the games are broken (this is because there is a cultural issue between techs and restaurant management where managers feel that they have no responsabillity to learn how to fix basic or even recurring issues with games as it's the "tech's" job...and would sooner down a game then keep it up due to their own ignorance. I can fix an issue and feel for my keys...and they aren't there. I say it's ~35% - ~45% of the stores income, you BETTER keep those games up.)
Actually, yes, Old School, and yet one and the same.
CEC was started first (1977) by Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari)...
Showbiz was a group of investors from the midwest who wanted to franchise CEC operations, but figured they could do better on their own without having to pay the California based CEC franchise fees as well as ceding creative and operational control.
They were correct. Financially, the restaurants were far more profitable, and they ended up buying out CEC. After doing market research and discovering the power of the CEC name/brand, they decided to rebrand all the Showbiz stores to CEC.
The company still operated as Showbiz (at least legally) until the move from the NASDAQ to the NYSE in 1998, when they officially broke the last tie to Showbiz and reorganized as CEC Entertainment, Inc.
Around that same time they also purchased their largest competitor, Discovery Zone. Many of the DZs were closed, but the more profitable locations were converted into CECs.
So, when you go to a CEC today, you really aren't going to a CEC...you are going to a Showbiz, branded as a CEC.
AllyInWonderland
Well-Known Member
I used to go to birthday parties there all the time when I was little! It was so much fun! (I was sated of the Chuck E Cheese fur character though). My favorite games were the skee ball, the Jurassic Park game, the tiny roller coaster simulator, and the clock Ferris wheel. 
Ours got destroyed in the Tuscaloosa tornado in 2011. I was hoping they would rebuild it, but instead they're building new apartments.
Ours got destroyed in the Tuscaloosa tornado in 2011. I was hoping they would rebuild it, but instead they're building new apartments.
jw24
Well-Known Member
There wasn't a local CEC in my neck of the woods until I was..oh gosh, my pre-teen/adolescent years. I'd outgrown it by then so I never had a party there. The only time I did go to a CEC was when my entire family was "dragged along" for my younger brother's friend birthday party. (I still don't know why all of us were dragged there in the first place.) Needless to say, that will be the first and last time I'll ever go there. (Not to mention, there have been so many violent encounters at CECs in recent years.) btw, their pizza was probably the worst I've had. Even Disney World's pizza is far better than CEC!
Still, there were different places I went to over the years that eventually closed down but they pretty much had the same things: Arcades, activities (Mini-rides, playpens or tiny sport facilities) and party rooms. But I think my personal favorite out of all was that there's a very small laser tag arena right in my hometown and not too far of a drive. That was a lot of fun for me. The place is still open but in recent years, the service has gotten negative feedback. I haven't played laser tag in years but I really want to. A spot where grown men can juke it out on the laser tag battlefield.
Still, there were different places I went to over the years that eventually closed down but they pretty much had the same things: Arcades, activities (Mini-rides, playpens or tiny sport facilities) and party rooms. But I think my personal favorite out of all was that there's a very small laser tag arena right in my hometown and not too far of a drive. That was a lot of fun for me. The place is still open but in recent years, the service has gotten negative feedback. I haven't played laser tag in years but I really want to. A spot where grown men can juke it out on the laser tag battlefield.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
My grandmother took me a few times when I was little and would stay with her.
cheezbat
Well-Known Member
I was a child of the 80's, so Chuck E Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre was a big deal to me....big enough that when I moved down here to Florida I applied for a job...and I've been with CEC for 11 years now.
I miss the old pizza and the full animatronic shows...as well as the lounge and cabaret areas that also had small shows.
Man, those were the days.
I miss the old pizza and the full animatronic shows...as well as the lounge and cabaret areas that also had small shows.
Man, those were the days.
Uncle Remus
Well-Known Member
I was a huge fan of Chuck E Cheese back in the day. Unfortunately so are my kids.......I cant stand going there. I take them anyway however
rsoxguy
Well-Known Member
We had a birthday party for my daughter there long ago when she was very young. Awful food, corny entertainment, and expensive games that yielded tickets that could be redeemed for worthless junk. You couldn't wipe the smile off of my daughter's face, so, all in all, a complete success. I would have gone back the next day for the smile.