Shane Dawson's Chuck E. Cheese Expose: Trouble Ahead?

YouTuber Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory about Chuck E. Cheese's pizza involved the claim that the franchise recycled pizza slices left behind by customers to create new pizzas to serve. Dawson's 2019 video titled Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson brought attention to the theory, which alleged that employees would scoop up leftover pizza slices, take them to the kitchen, and plate them to be re-served. The video showed Dawson and his friends ordering several pizzas at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant, noticing misshapen pizzas with misaligned crusts and pepperonis. Despite the theory's popularity, Chuck E. Cheese denied Dawson's claims, releasing a statement that their pizzas are made to order and we prepare our dough fresh in [the] restaurant.

Shane Dawson's theory about Chuck E. Cheese's pizza

YouTuber Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory about Chuck E. Cheese's pizza is one that "few people who heard it can forget". In a 2019 video titled "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson", Dawson and his friends discuss the theory that Chuck E. Cheese recycles leftover pizza slices from customers, bringing them back to the kitchen to be reheated and served to new customers. Dawson and his friends then order several pizzas from Chuck E. Cheese, which arrive misshapen with misaligned crusts and pepperonis. Dawson claims that this is evidence that the pizza slices are formed from different pizzas, and that the restaurant is reusing old slices.

The theory gained so much attention that Chuck E. Cheese released an official statement to news outlets, denying the claims:

> "The claims made in this video about Chuck E. Cheese’s and our pizza are unequivocally false. No conspiracies here — our pizzas are made to order, and we prepare our dough fresh in our restaurant, which means that they’re not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious."

An ex-employee of Chuck E. Cheese also explained that the uneven slices are the result of kitchen staff cutting the pizza incorrectly. Additionally, a manager stated that the slices appear disproportionate because Chuck E. Cheese cuts the pizza much earlier in the process, so by the time it is served, it may look uneven.

Chuck E. Cheese's denial of the theory

In 2019, YouTuber Shane Dawson released a video titled "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson", in which he discussed the theory that Chuck E. Cheese recycles leftover pizza slices from customers and uses them to create new pizzas to serve. The video caused a stir online, with many social media users taking the theory as fact and demanding an explanation from the franchise.

Chuck E. Cheese denied Dawson's claims and released the following statement to several news outlets:

> The claims made in this video about Chuck E. Cheese's and our pizza are unequivocally false. No conspiracies here—our pizzas are made to order, and we prepare our dough fresh in our restaurant, which means that they're not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious.

In addition to this statement, a Chuck E. Cheese employee and Anaheim High School student also denied the conspiracy, saying:

> I've seen them make the pizza and also seen how they cut it. I do not believe it, but I could be wrong and they may do it at other locations. Like I said, where I work, we don't do that with our pizzas.

Furthermore, a Buzzfeed video about the theory featured a Chuck E. Cheese manager who explained that the slices appeared disproportionate because they were cut much earlier in the cooking process. The manager also stated that the theory was completely false.

Despite these denials, Dawson's video and the conspiracy theory gained widespread attention, with some people even commenting on Chuck E. Cheese's Instagram page with statements such as "Straight from the bin" and "Y'all got some explaining to do".

The theory's spread on social media

In 2019, YouTuber Shane Dawson posted a video titled "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson", in which he discussed the theory that Chuck E. Cheese recycles leftover pizza slices from customers to create new pizzas. The video gained widespread attention, with many social media users taking the theory as fact and demanding an explanation from the franchise.

The theory spread like wildfire on social media, with many users expressing their disbelief and disgust at the idea of recycled pizza. Some pointed to the uneven slices and misshapen pizzas as evidence that Chuck E. Cheese was reusing old slices, while others made jokes and sarcastic comments about the practice.

One Twitter user, @PicturesFoIder, posted: "Remember when Chuck E. Cheese sued Shane Dawson for the pizza conspiracy theory". This tweet, in particular, gained a lot of attention and sparked further discussion about the theory.

On Instagram, comments on Chuck E. Cheese's page included: "Straight from the bin", "Y'all got some explaining to do", and "They probably make fresh ones only for the advertisements lol".

Many people also shared their own experiences with Chuck E. Cheese's pizza, claiming to have noticed odd-shaped slices or uneven crusts. These personal accounts added fuel to the fire, making the theory seem more credible to some.

While some social media users were quick to believe the theory, others remained sceptical. Some pointed out that the number of untouched pizza slices left by customers would not be enough for Chuck E. Cheese to routinely create new pizzas. Others argued that even if the slices were uneven, it did not necessarily prove that they were recycled.

Despite the mixed reactions and criticisms of his theory, Shane Dawson's video sparked a widespread debate about the practices of Chuck E. Cheese and the possibility of pizza recycling. The franchise was forced to address the rumours directly, releasing an official statement denying the allegations and explaining the potential reasons for uneven slices.

Chuck E. Cheese's statement to news outlets

"The claims made in this video about Chuck E. Cheese's and our pizza are unequivocally false. No conspiracies here—our pizzas are made to order, and we prepare our dough fresh in our restaurant, which means that they're not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious."

The above statement was released by Chuck E. Cheese to several news outlets, including E! News and the Huffington Post, in response to Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory video, "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson". In the video, Dawson alleged that the company recycles leftover pizza slices from customers to create new pizzas.

Chuck E. Cheese's statement denied the allegations, emphasising that their pizzas are made fresh and that any inconsistencies in shape are due to the fresh dough preparation process. They also addressed the conspiracy theory on Twitter, stating:

> "Nope. All our pizzas are made to order fresh by our team of pizza pros. So not every pizza will look the same, but they'll all be super tasty."

The company also acknowledged the conspiracy in a Valentine's Day tweet to their employees, accompanied by a video of how their pizzas are cut. "Sending love to our employees this Valentine's Day," the tweet read. "Our team puts a lot of TLC into each made-to-order pizza. They're fresh, never frozen like some others and covered in freshly grated mozzarella cheese. They look handmade because they are, and that's why we love them."

Reactions to the theory

Shane Dawson's theory about Chuck E. Cheese's pizza sparked a range of reactions from the public, with some finding it entertaining and others taking it more seriously. Many social media users were shocked that so many people believed the theory, as there could be numerous other reasons for a pizza's uneven crust. Some people even commented on Chuck E. Cheese's Instagram page, with statements like "Straight from the bin" and "They probably make fresh ones only for the advertisements".

The theory gained so much attention that Chuck E. Cheese was forced to respond. They released an official statement to several news outlets, denying the claims and explaining that their pizzas are made to order with fresh dough, which can result in slightly uneven shapes. An ex-employee of the company also explained that the uneven slices could be due to kitchen staff cutting the pizza incorrectly.

Despite the official denial, many people still seemed to believe the theory. Some pointed out that other pizzerias manage to make perfectly shaped pizzas with fresh dough, so this explanation didn't necessarily disprove Dawson's theory. Additionally, some former employees commented on YouTube videos, stating that the conspiracy theory was not true. One explained that when it's busy, they make full cheese and pepperoni pies, and when they get orders for half-pepperoni, they combine the two halves, resulting in a pie that looks like two different pizzas put together.

A Chuck E. Cheese manager also addressed the theory, attributing the disproportionate slices to the fact that they cut the pizza earlier in the process, so by the time it's served, it may look uneven due to settling. However, the manager's response didn't directly answer all the questions, and the reporter who interviewed them later apologised for poor reporting, admitting that he had been biased and wanted to prove Dawson wrong.

While Dawson's theory had some flaws and was not proven, it sparked a lot of discussion and caused Chuck E. Cheese to address the concerns publicly.

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