Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is a franchise of arcades and restaurants. Their restaurants have small rides, pizza (a central focus), and arcade and skill games. It was previously called Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (1977–1991).

In most of their stores, they operate animatronic robot characters that sing songs and play instruments.

Created in 1977 in San Jose, California, by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, it started out as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. In 1984, CEC got bought out by then-competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place from Topeka, Kansas, and changed their corporate name to "ShowBiz Pizza Time.". In 1989, Brock Hotel Management (then owners of SPT) sold its "Monterrey's Tex-Mex Cafe" brand to them and spun off SPT into a separate company. In 1991, all ShowBiz and Pizza Time stores were rebranded as "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza," and in 1998, SPT changed its corporate name to "CEC Entertainment.". In 1999, CEC bought out their primary competitor, Discovery Zone, and in 2014, they bought the "Peter Piper's Pizza" chain. In 2013, CEC was bought by Apollo Global Management as it was put up for sale.

CEC's headquarters are in Irving, Texas, and they have 590 CEC store locations worldwide.

In September 2020, it was announced that Chuck E. Cheese is developing a live-action movie and an animated television series.

References

Category:1977 establishments in California
Category:American fast food restaurants
Category:Companies based in Texas
Category:Pizza franchises
Category:San Jose, California