Chuck E. Cheese's

Chuck E. Cheese's
Formerly
 Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre
Subsidiary of CEC Entertainment, Inc.
Traded as NYSE: CEC
Industry Family entertainment centers, fast food
Founded May 17, 1977 (1977-05-17)
San Jose, California, U.S.
Founder Nolan Bushnell
Headquarters Irving, Texas, U.S.
Number of locations
 608 (2017)
Area served
 North America, South America, Middle East
Key people
 Gene Landrum (first president and COO)
Products Pizza, arcade games, kiddie rides, birthday parties
Parent ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. (1984-1998)
CEC Entertainment, Inc. (1998-present)
Website www.chuckecheese.com

Chuck E. Cheese's (formerly Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza) is a chain of American family entertainment centers and restaurants. The chain is the primary brand of CEC Entertainment, Inc. and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.[1][2] The establishment serves pizza and other menu items, complemented by arcade games, amusement rides, and animatronic displays as a focus of family entertainment.[3] The brand derives its name from its main animatronic character Chuck E. Cheese, a comedic mouse who sings and interacts with guests.[3][4]

The first location opened in San Jose, California, as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, on May 17, 1977.[5][6][7][8] The concept was created by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, credited with bringing video games such as Pong to the mainstream. The Pizza Time Theatre was the first family restaurant to integrate food, animated entertainment, and an indoor arcade.[3] Following a filing for bankruptcy, the chain was acquired by competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place in 1984, forming ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc.[9] In 1990, the company began unifying the two brands with the goal of renaming every location to Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza.[10][11] The logo was redesigned in 1994 after pizza was dropped from each store's name.[9] ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. became CEC Entertainment, Inc. in 1998, and over 600 Chuck E. Cheese stores are open in 47 states and 15 countries as of 2017.[9][1][2]

Chain history

Foundation

Two children in the Ticket Blaster. This is used whenever a child has a birthday party. The birthday child must collect as many tickets as he/she can before time expires.
A girl playing in the SkyTubes play area.

Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre was founded by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, who was seeking to expand the purview of video game arcades beyond more adult locations like pool halls to a child- and family-friendly venue.[3][12] Bushnell's experience in the amusement park industry, as well as his fondness for the Walt Disney Company, were influential in the conceptualization of the Pizza Time Theatre concept.[13] The first location opened in San Jose, California, in 1977, and was labeled as the first family restaurant to integrate food, cheap animated entertainment, and an indoor arcade.[3][9] In 1978, Bushnell purchased the Pizza Time Theatre concept from Atari's then-corporate parent, Warner Communications.[14] Gene Landrum then resigned from Atari and was made President and Chief Operating Officer of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre.[15][16]

Bushnell has said of his decision to open a pizza restaurant, "It was my pet project ... I chose pizza because of the wait time and the build schedule: very few components and not too many ways to screw it up."[17] After finding out from employees working on the animatronics that the costume he bought was a rodent rather than the coyote he thought he was buying, Bushnell says he suggested changing the name of the establishment from the planned "Coyote Pizza" to "Rick Rat's Pizza". Marketing people disliked that and proposed "Chuck E. Cheese" instead, which is what was used.[18]

To expand beyond California and the west coast, Nolan began to franchise, resulting in a co-development agreement between himself and Robert Brock of Topeka Inn Management in 1979. The agreement handed Brock exclusive franchising rights for opening Pizza Time Theatres in sixteen states across the Southern and Midwestern United States,[14] while also forming a company subdivision, "Pizza Show Biz", to develop the Pizza Time Theatres.[14]

ShowBiz Pizza Place

In November 1979, Brock met Aaron Fechter of Creative Engineering, Inc. Concerned that Fechter's animatronics would be too strong a competition for Bushnell's work, Brock requested that Bushnell release him from the co-development agreement, citing misrepresentation.[14] In December 1979, Brock and Fechter formed "Showbiz Pizza Place Inc", severing Brock's business relationship with Bushnell.[14][19] ShowBiz Pizza Place was conceptually identical to Pizza Time Theatre in all aspects except for animation, which would be provided by Creative Engineering.[14] Showbiz Pizza Place opened its first location on March 3, 1980, in Kansas City, Missouri.[9]

Upon the opening of ShowBiz Pizza Place, Bushnell sued Brock and Topeka Inn Management over breach of contract.[14] Brock immediately issued a counter-suit against Bushnell, citing misrepresentation.[14] The court case began in March 1980, eventually settling out of court with Showbiz agreeing to pay Pizza Time Theatre a portion of its profits over the following decade.[14] During this period, Topeka Inn Management also changed its name to Brock Hotel Corporation and moved its headquarters to Irving, Texas.[14] Both restaurants experienced increased success as the video game industry became more robust,[14] and, to maintain competition, both franchises continually modified and diversified their animatronic shows.

Mergers and restructuring

An older Chuck E. Cheese's facility under the now defunct title of "Chuck E Cheese's Pizza"

In 1981, Pizza Time Theatre went public; however, the evolving video game industry and the video game crash of 1983 resulted in significant losses for Pizza Time Theatre, which lost $15 million in 1983, and by 1984, Bushnell's debts were insurmountable, resulting in the filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy for Pizza Time Theatre Inc.[9] Showbiz then bought the foundering company, recreating itself as Showbiz Pizza Time Inc.[9]

After the merger, both restaurant chains continued operating under their respective titles, while major financial restructuring had begun.[9] During this period, Creative Engineering began to sever ties with ShowBiz Pizza Time (officially splitting in September 1990), resulting in the unification of the two brands. By 1992, all restaurants assumed the name of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza.[10] The name was then shortened to Chuck E. Cheese's by March 1995 after a redesigned concept.[9][20] In 1998, Showbiz Pizza Time renamed itself CEC Entertainment, Inc. to reflect the remaining chain brand.[2][9]

International expansion

In the early 1980s, the restaurant franchise debuted in Australia under the name Charlie Cheese's Pizza Playhouse. The name change had to do with the common meaning of the word "chuck", which in Australia is a reference to the phrase "to throw up".[21] Pizza Time Theater also opened at least one restaurant in Hong Kong, which closed shortly thereafter as a result of the initial company's 1984 bankruptcy.[21]

Further international locations are open in Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates.[22]

The company was supposed to open a branch in the Philippines at Glorietta but it was scrapped due to the discrepancies in the mall's design which standards of CEC locations must be followed. The location of the first branch is still being proposed.[23] Further planned markets are in Argentina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, more cities in Mexico, Oman, Poland, more cities in Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine.[24]

Buyout and modern redesign

In February 2014, Apollo Global Management acquired CEC Entertainment, Inc. for $54 per share, or about $950 million.[25][26]

In August 2017, the company began to pilot a new design concept at seven remodeled locations (three in Kansas City, three in San Antonio, one in Selma, Texas), branded as Chuck E. Cheese Pizzeria & Games. These locations feature more upscale decor with a "muted" interior color scheme, an open kitchen, the "Play Pass" card system to replace arcade tokens, and the animatronic stage show replaced by a dance floor area. These changes, along with expansions to food offerings, are intended to help the chain provide an experience that can appeal better to adult visitors, and encourage family dining as opposed to primarily parties.[27][28]

While its primary focus is pizza, Chuck E. Cheese's also offers cold-cut sandwiches, chicken wings, salad bars and desserts. Some stores are also used as test locations which feature new Chuck E. Cheese foods.[29] Certain Chuck E. Cheese locations also offer beer and wine.[30]

Starting on November 13, 2012, new gluten-free menu items were available at more than 500 locations in the U.S. and Canada. This currently includes a choice of a personal-size cheese pizza and new items such as chocolate or vanilla sheet cakes and cotton candy.[31]

Entertainment

Arcade and currency

A Chuck E. Cheese token.

From the time of the company's inception to today, one of the main draws for the stores has been the arcade.[3][2] The arcade games primarily consist of either redemption games or video arcade games.[32]

The brass tokens issued by the company for use in their arcades exist in numerous varieties, and are collected by exonumia enthusiasts.[33] The company once tested a card access method for use with their arcade and skill games in one location. The test location would no longer use tokens, and instead use a refillable card to access credits, which replace tokens, and points, which replace tickets. However, this was later scrapped. It was tested under different names, including "Chuck E.'s Super Discount Card" and "Chuck E. Token Card".[34][35] This method is currently being tested in some markets again. Instead of electronic tickets like the former cards, patrons still carry paper tickets, and the card just takes the place of the metal tokens. CECE, or CEC Entertainment, has called the new system "Play Pass".

Animatronic figures

Chuck E. Cheese animatronic in 2014

Along with the arcade, the other main draw for the centers since the beginning was its animatronic show, until the mid-1990s. More recently, less attention has been placed on animatronics. However, there are now several different styles of animatronic shows in use within the company, depending on when the location opened, whether it was renovated, and other factors.[36]

When the first location opened in 1977, the animatronic characters were featured in framed portraits hanging on the walls of the main dining area, but they are no longer in use today. The show featured Crusty The Cat (the first character to face retirement as he was soon replaced with Mr. Munch in 1978), Pasqually the singing chef, Jasper T. Jowls, the Warblettes, and the main focus of the show, Chuck E. Cheese.[37] Later, restaurants also added "Cabaret" shows in separate rooms of each restaurant.[3] They also frequently changed out the sole female character, currently named Helen Henny, in the main show. They achieved this by applying a cosmetic change to the existing robot, as well as a change of stage backdrop, to match the performer. The in-house control system which consisted of a 6502-based controller in a card cage with various driver boards was called "Cyberamics".[38][39]

Beginning in 1998, the company's show installed into new stores, referred to as "Studio C", consists of a single animated Chuck E. Cheese character created by Garner Holt alongside large television monitors, lighting effects, and interactive elements.[40] The other characters appear as puppets on the TV screens. The control system dubbed "Cyberstar" was re-designed from the ground up and produced by Dave Philipsen. In some markets, the company has also tried a new store concept that omits the animated show entirely. This is the Circle of Lights stage which either consists of a live Chuck E. Cheese costume character or an animatronic in a futuristic light stage with large television monitors. In 2017, the chain announced that animatronic shows would be removed in favor of a modernized dance floor.[41] The move is being piloted in a handful of locations prior to being implemented company-wide.[41]

The members that performed in the animatronic shows were:[42]

  • Chuck E. Cheese — vocals
  • Helen Henny — vocals
  • Mr. Munch — vocals, keyboards
  • Jasper T. Jowls — vocals, guitar
  • Pasqually P. Pieplate — vocals, drums

Costumed shows

Chuck E. Cheese walkaround character performing in 2017.

Two types of costumed shows are used by Chuck E. Cheese's: the Live show and the Road show. The Live show is performed at the front of the stage in the showroom, whenever a child is celebrating a birthday. In the live show a customized rendition of "Happy Birthday" is sung to the child that is celebrating the birthday. A costumed Chuck E. Cheese dances with the guests and sings, while being accompanied by the cast members.[43] The Road show is a performance by a costumed Chuck E. Cheese character, and is performed outside the normal showroom. Children are gathered via the public announcement system or by Chuck E. Cheese himself. Chuck E. Cheese wants the children to dance in order to win free tickets. The free tickets are thrown at the end of the performance for all the children that participated. Chuck comes out every hour on the half hour. The songs that he and the children dance to are usually well-known classic songs such as "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".

References

  1. 1 2 "CEC Entertainment, Inc. Reports Financial Results for the 2017 First Quarter" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2017-05-08. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Investor Relations" (PHP). Chuck E. Cheese's official site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Packer, Linda (October 1979). "Catering To Kids" (PDF). Food Service Marketing. pp. 46–47.
  4. ↑ "Entertainment" (PHP). Chuck E. Cheese's official site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  5. ↑ "1977 Pizza Time Theatre Grand Opening Ad - Original Winchester Location" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Chuck E. Cheese's 'founder' speaks to mom in campaign from Dallas' Richards Group". The Dallas Morning News. 2012-08-16. Archived from the original on 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  7. ↑ "Chuck E. Cheese fined for violating child-labor laws". San Jose Mercury News. 2011-12-13. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  8. ↑ "Chuck E. Cheese's® Kicks off '40 Years of Fun' Celebration". PR Newswire. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Company History". Chuck E. Cheese's Official Site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original (PHP) on January 6, 2012. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  10. 1 2 Prewitt, Milford (1990-09-10). "ShowBiz Parent Merges Concepts Into One Big Pie" (PDF). Nation's Restaurant News. pp. 12–3.
  11. ↑ "www.showbizpizza.com/info/articles/joint/joint_cuarticle.pdf" (PDF). ShowbizPizza.com. 1990-09-10. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  12. ↑ Kent, Steve L. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokémon and Beyond: The Story behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World. Roseville, CA: Prima Pub., 2001.
  13. ↑ "Pizza Time's Vaudeville Theatre" (PDF). Western Foodservice. March 1979.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kinkead, Gwen (July 1982). "High Profits from a Weird Pizza Combination" (PDF). Fortune. pp. 62–68.
  15. ↑ Atari Inc: Business is Fun; Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel; Syzygy Press, 2012; pp. 325–334
  16. ↑ Ponder, Erica. "Building a Strong Business Network with Dr. Gene Landrum". Houston Style Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  17. ↑ Alexis C. Madrigal (July 17, 2013). "Chuck E. Cheese's, Silicon Valley Startup: The Origins of the Best Pizza Chain Ever". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  18. ↑ "How I Built This / Atari & Chuck E. Cheese's: Nolan Bushnell".
  19. ↑ "Rock-afire Explosion Brochure" (PDF) (Press release). Creative Engineering, Inc. 1980. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  20. ↑ "1994 FORM 10-K". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 2009. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  21. 1 2 VegaNova. "Chuck E. Cheese's Collectables". www.showbizpizza.com. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  22. ↑ "Chuck E. Cheese's Locations Near You". Chuck E. Cheese's. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  23. ↑ "What happened to PH opening of Chuck E. Cheese?". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Chuck E. Cheese's Franchising Opportunities".
  25. ↑ Chuck E. Cheese Owner Agrees to $950M Buyout; ABC News; January 16, 2014
  26. ↑ Apollo Global Management Announces Completion of Its Acquisition of CEC Entertainment, Inc.; BusinessWire - Press release; February 14, 2014
  27. ↑ Channick, Robert. "Chuck E. Cheese's breaking up the (animatronic) band". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  28. ↑ Whitten, Sarah (2017-08-09). "Chuck E. Cheese's is getting a major redesign". CNBC. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  29. ↑ "Nutritional Information" (PDF). Chuck E. Cheese's Official Site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. January 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  30. ↑ Lieberman, Al & Esgate, Patricia (2002). "Location-Based Entertainment and Experiential Branding". The Entertainment Marketing Revolution (PDF) (Illustrated ed.). FT Press. p. 272. ISBN 0-13-029350-4. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  31. ↑ "New Gluten-Free Offerings - Chuck E. Cheese's". Chuck E. Cheese's.
  32. ↑ "Games & Rides" (PHP). Chuck E. Cheese's Official Site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  33. ↑ "Chuck E. Cheese Tokens". Forrest's Token Page. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  34. ↑ S., Travis. "CEC Token Cards" (CSS). Showbiz Pizza.com. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  35. ↑ S., Travis. "Super Discount Card Poster 9Irving, TX 2006)" (JPG). Showbiz Pizza.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  36. ↑ S., Travis. "Pizza Time Theatre: Stage Shows" (CSS). Showbiz Pizza.com. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  37. ↑ "Pizza Time Theatre Program" (PDF). ATARI, Inc. 1977. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  38. ↑ "Pizza Time Theatre Balcony Show Photograph #1". 1981. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  39. ↑ "Pizza Time Theatre Balcony Show Photograph #2". 1980s. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  40. ↑ "Chuck E.'s New Look" (PDF) (Press release). Garner Holt Productions. 1998. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  41. 1 2 Brown, Jennings (17 August 2017). "Chuck E. Cheese's Animatronic Band Is Starting to Break Up and Fans Are Heartbroken". GizModo. GizModo. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  42. ↑ "Our Promise to Parents". Chuck E. Cheese's.
  43. ↑ "Birthday Parties" (PHP). Chuck E. Cheese's Official Site. CEC Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-03.

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