For those who may have been following the saga regarding the new Company owners' plans to remodel existing CEC Stores into the 'Pizzaria' test concept with NO animatronic shows.....
Good news.
I have heard from someone high up in the Company that it turns out that those test locations that have been open are not pulling in the sales as hoped.
They do terrific for about two months, which is typical for any 'new place', but then the newly remodeled 'Pizzaria' CEC concept Stores lose the rosey sales numbers rather quickly.
So the 'Pizzaria' CEC 2.0 concept is a bust...and Guests have voted with their dollars.
The Company is now looking at other options, including testing a few new 'Pizzaria' concept locations that will KEEP the exsisting animatronic show.
The silly 'Dance Floor' concept didn't make a real difference and visitors to the test locations miss the animatronics.
Stores that have shows still in good working order as being targeted for the possible makeover.
Who could have predicted this....?
( raises hand and laughs )
This reminds me SO much of CEC Entertainment's failed attempt back in the early 2000s to remove the animatronic entertainment with the rollout of the 'Smalltown CEC' Location concept.
This was a downsized CEC that had no animated entertainment and was designed to be a tiny shoebox sized location to be placed between larger established locations.
Basically, a CEC 'lite' with much smaller interiors, less games, and only tv monitors and the costumed character for entertainment.
The Company was gung ho about this 'downsized' concept and was absolutely convinced that this was the future for CEC.
For years beforehand they had been trying for some time to ditch the 'expensive' animated shows, as the perception was Guests were not paying attention to them.
Whelp, they tried...and Guests didn't go for it,
They missed the animatronics and the concept flopped...thank the Gods.
So it looks like the various animated shows, wether Cyberamic, Electronimation, or Garner Holt Productions will be with us for quite a bit longer.
I for one am glad.
It really is the ONLY thing that separates CEC from the pack of copycat entertainment complexes.
Here is a video i shot back in 2005 of a terrific animation example of Garner Holt's version of Chuck E. Cheese.
A expressive figure, and animated / programmed by someone who really knew what he was doing ( you GO, Matt! )
A Studio C 'Alpha' stage, fully operational, with all movements and lights working.
Rare to find in the field now, it seems.
-
