Chuck E. Cheese

For the character, see Chuck E. Cheese (character).

Chuck E. Cheese
CEC Entertainment
Formerly
  • Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (1977–1985)
  • ShowBiz Pizza (1987–1990)
  • Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza (1987–1994)
  • Chuck E. Cheese’s (1994–2019)
Company typePrivate
Nasdaq: CHKY (1981–1984)
Nasdaq: SHBZ (January 1989–1998, subsidiary)
NYSE: CEC (1998 – January 2014, subsidiary)
Industry
FoundedMay 17, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-05-17)[1]San Jose, California, United States [a]
FounderNolan Bushnell
Headquarters
Irving, Texas
,
United States
Number of locations
621
Area served
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Key people
  • Gene Landrum (original president and COO)
  • David McKillips (president and CEO)
ProductsPizza
Chicken wings
Cheesy bread
Brands
  • Pasqually's Pizza & Wings
  • Fun Spot Arcade
ServicesArcade games
Birthday parties
Kiddie rides
OwnerBrock Hotel Corporation (1985-1988)
Queso Holdings, Inc. (2014–2020)
Monarch Alternative Capital (2020–Present)
Parent
  • Atari, Inc. (1977–1978)
  • Pizza Time Theatre, Inc. (1978–1985)
  • ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. (1985–1998)
  • CEC Entertainment, Inc. (1998–2020)
  • CEC Entertainment, LLC (2020–present)
SubsidiariesPeter Piper Pizza
Websitechuckecheese.com Edit this at Wikidata

Chuck E. Cheese (formerly known as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza, and simply Chuck E. Cheese's) is an American entertainment restaurant chain founded on May 17, 1977 by Atari, Inc.'s co-founder Nolan Bushnell.[1] Headquartered in Irving, Texas, each location features arcade games, amusement rides and musical shows in addition to serving pizza and other food items; former mainstays included ball pits, crawl tubes, and animatronic shows. The chain's name is taken from its main character and mascot, Chuck E. Cheese. The first location opened as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California. It was the first family restaurant to integrate food with arcade games and animated entertainment, thus being one of the pioneers for the "family entertainment center" concept.

After filing for bankruptcy in 1984, the chain was acquired in 1985 by Brock Hotel Corporation, the parent company of competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place. The merger formed a new parent company, ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., which began unifying the two brands in 1990, renaming every location Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza. It was later shortened to Chuck E. Cheese's in 1994 and Chuck E. Cheese in 2019. The parent company, ShowBiz Pizza Time also became CEC Entertainment in 1998.

  1. ^ a b "Robots, Pizza, And Sensory Overload: The Chuck E. Cheese Origin Story", by Benj Edwards, Fast Company, May 31, 2017
  2. ^ Oates, Sarah (July 15, 1985). "Chuck E. Cheese Gets New Lease on Life". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 4, 2022.


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