The Entertainment Industry: A Giant Chuck E. Cheese?

ShowBiz Pizza Place, or simply ShowBiz Pizza, was an American family entertainment centre and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering. It emerged after a separation between Brock and the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre. The two companies became competitors and found early success, partly due to the rise in popularity of arcade games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ShowBiz Pizza restaurants entertained guests through a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows.

In 1984, Pizza Time Theatre filed for bankruptcy and was acquired by Brock Hotel Corporation, the parent company of competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place, in 1985. 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, finally, Chuck E. Cheese in 2019.

ShowBiz Pizza Place was founded by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering in 1980

ShowBiz Pizza Place, or simply ShowBiz Pizza, was an American family entertainment centre and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It emerged after a separation between Brock and the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre.

In the late 1970s, Brock, a successful hotelier, signed a multi-million-dollar franchising agreement with Pizza Time Theatre Inc. to open as many as 280 Chuck E. Cheese locations across 16 states. However, Brock soon became concerned that competitors would emerge with better animatronic technology. He learned of Aaron Fechter's work in animatronics at Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI) and concluded that their technology would be too strong a competition for Pizza Time Theatre's work. Brock requested that Pizza Time Theatre release him from their co-development agreement, wishing to develop instead with CEI.

In December 1979, Brock and Fechter formed ShowBiz Pizza Place Inc. The Brock Hotel Corporation assumed 80% control of the company, while the remaining 20% stake went to Creative Engineering. CEI produced the chain's animatronics show, The Rock-afire Explosion. The first ShowBiz Pizza Place location opened to the public in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1980. By September 1981, there were 48 company-owned outlets and 42 franchises. The company's headquarters moved the following year to Irving, Texas.

ShowBiz Pizza restaurants entertained guests through a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows. The two companies became competitors and found early success, partly due to the rise in popularity of arcade games during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The type of animatronics used in the ShowBiz Pizza chain distinguished it from its rival, which offered many of the same services.

ShowBiz Pizza Place was a family entertainment centre and pizza chain

ShowBiz Pizza Place, or simply ShowBiz Pizza, was an American family entertainment centre and pizza restaurant chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It was established after a separation between Brock and the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre.

ShowBiz Pizza restaurants entertained guests through arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows. The animatronics used in the ShowBiz Pizza chain distinguished it from its rival, which offered many of the same services.

ShowBiz Pizza Place opened its first location to the public in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1980. By September 1981, there were 48 company-owned outlets and 42 franchises. The company's headquarters moved to Irving, Texas, the following year.

In 1984, Pizza Time Theatre filed for bankruptcy, and ShowBiz Pizza Place acquired its assets, forming ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. Following a severing of ties with CEI in 1990, ShowBiz Pizza locations were rebranded as Chuck E. Cheese locations, which took several years to complete.

ShowBiz Pizza Place and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre were competitors

The two companies became competitors, partly due to the rise in popularity of arcade games during that time. They offered similar services, including arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows. However, the type of animatronics used in each chain distinguished one from the other. ShowBiz Pizza Place's animatronics were produced by CEI and performed as The Rock-afire Explosion, while Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre's animatronics were produced in-house by Pizza Time Theatre employees and known as the Pizza Time Players.

In 1984, Pizza Time Theatre filed for bankruptcy, and its assets, including the Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant chain, were purchased by Brock Hotel Corporation, the parent company of ShowBiz Pizza Place, in 1985. This merger formed a new parent company, ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., which operated both restaurant chains separately. Over time, the two brands were unified, and by 1994, all ShowBiz restaurants had been rebranded into Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants.

ShowBiz Pizza Place was rebranded as Chuck E. Cheese's in the 1990s

ShowBiz Pizza Place, or simply ShowBiz Pizza, was an American family entertainment centre and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It emerged after a separation between Brock and the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre.

The two companies became direct competitors, with ShowBiz Pizza's animatronic shows distinguishing it from its rival, which offered many of the same services. When Pizza Time Theatre filed for bankruptcy in 1984, ShowBiz merged with the struggling franchise to settle a former court settlement mandate, forming ShowBiz Pizza Time.

In 1990, ShowBiz Pizza Time began the process of rebranding its locations as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza. This was known as "Concept Unification", and involved removing the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show from ShowBiz restaurants and converting it into a new show called "Chuck E. Cheese & Munch's Make Believe Band", featuring characters from Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. The process of rebranding ShowBiz Pizza locations as Chuck E. Cheese's took several years, with conversions known to have occurred from 1990 to at least 1994. The final date of the last store conversion is not known.

In 1994, the name was shortened to Chuck E. Cheese's, and in 1998, the parent company, ShowBiz Pizza Time, became CEC Entertainment. In 2019, the name was again shortened, this time to Chuck E. Cheese.

Chuck E. Cheese's was founded by Nolan Bushnell in 1977

Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre was founded by Nolan Bushnell in 1977. Bushnell, born in 1943 in Clearfield, Utah, is an American businessman and electrical engineer. He established Atari, Inc., and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre chain. He has started over 20 companies and is considered one of the founding fathers of the video game industry.

The idea for Chuck E. Cheese's came from Bushnell's desire to create a place where people could eat food and play arcade games. He drew inspiration from his time working at Lagoon Amusement Park, where he learned about the business side of the entertainment industry and studied consumer leisure habits. Bushnell also had a passion for Disney and wanted to create a family-friendly restaurant with amusement park-style entertainment.

The first Chuck E. Cheese's location opened in San Jose, California, in 1977 and was an immediate success. It was the first family restaurant to integrate food, arcade games, and animated entertainment, pioneering the "family entertainment center" concept. Bushnell's experience in the amusement park industry and his fondness for the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland also influenced his concept.

The name "Chuck E. Cheese" came about after Bushnell intended to name his restaurant Coyote Pizza due to a coyote mascot costume he had purchased. However, when he received the costume, it turned out to be a rat, leading him to consider alternative names. "Rick Rat's Pizza" was considered but was not well-received due to the negative connotations of rats in a kitchen. Eventually, the name "Chuck E. Cheese" was chosen for its alliteration with Mickey Mouse and its ability to bring a smile to people's faces.

In 1978, Bushnell purchased the rights to the concept and characters from Warner Communications for $500,000, as they were not interested in opening additional locations. Bushnell then formed Pizza Time Theatre Inc. and began expanding the business, franchising, and attracting high-profile clients. However, Bushnell faced competition from Robert L. Brock, who formed ShowBiz Pizza Place in 1980, which offered similar entertainment and animatronics. This led to a legal battle that was ultimately settled out of court, with ShowBiz agreeing to pay Pizza Time a portion of its profits for 14 years.

Despite the initial success, Pizza Time Theatre filed for bankruptcy in 1984, and Brock purchased the company, merging it with ShowBiz Pizza Place to form ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. The two restaurant chains continued operating under their respective brands, but over time, the ShowBiz Pizza locations were rebranded as Chuck E. Cheese's, completing the transition by 1993.

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