Dustin's Search For Chuck-E-Cheese: A Fun Adventure

Chuck E. Cheese is an American entertainment restaurant chain with locations across the United States and internationally. The chain was founded in 1977 by Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari, Inc. Each location features arcade games, amusement rides, and musical shows, in addition to serving pizza and other food items. As of 2024, there are approximately 465 Chuck E. Cheese locations in the United States and Canada, with 96 franchised locations in the US, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries worldwide. The chain has had some negative incidents, including a sexual assault on a 3-year-old girl by a registered sex offender, Robert Dustin Weber, in 2014. So, it is essential for parents to be vigilant and ensure the safety of their children even in family-friendly places like Chuck E. Cheese.

Locations of Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is an American entertainment and restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari, Inc. The chain is headquartered in Irving, Texas, and offers arcade games, amusement rides, musical shows, and food, including pizza. Chuck E. Cheese has locations in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

In the United States, Chuck E. Cheese has locations across many states, including California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and more. Some specific locations include:

• San Jose, California (370 S Winchester Blvd) - the first location, opened in 1977
• Citrus Heights, California (7614 Greenback Lane) - opened in January 1980
• Tucson, Arizona (5534 E 22nd St) - opened in July/August 1980
• Brooklyn, New York (8949 Bay Pkwy) - opened in February 1984
• Salem, Oregon (3180 Lancaster Dr) - opened in January 1984
• Irving, Texas (3903 W Airport Fwy) - opened in September 1988
• Dallas, Texas (13364 Montfort Dr) - opened in December 2001
• Nanuet, New York (250 NY-59) - opened in December 2003
• Blaine, Minnesota (8943 University Ave) - opened in August 2009
• Charlotte, North Carolina (7701 Pineville-Matthews Rd)
• San Diego, California (6403 El Cajon Blvd)
• Paramus, New Jersey (275 Route 4 West)

In Canada, Chuck E. Cheese has locations in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. Internationally, the chain has a presence in Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

History of Chuck E. Cheese

The history of Chuck E. Cheese begins with Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari. Bushnell grew up in Utah and worked as a games division manager at the Lagoon Amusement Park while earning an electrical engineering degree from the University of Utah. During this time, he learned about the business side of the entertainment industry, studying consumer leisure habits and working out how to market to them. After graduating, Bushnell moved to California with the hopes of becoming an engineer for Disney. When this fell through, he began working for Ampex Corp, a video equipment maker in Redwood City, California, where he befriended his co-worker, Ted Dabney.

Bushnell and Dabney soon began discussing the idea of starting a business together – specifically, a pizza parlour that incorporated Disney-esque entertainment. They started visiting local pizza parlours and scouting locations to see if they could turn this concept into reality. It was during this time that the pair visited the University of Stanford's computer laboratory (SAIL) to see Spacewar!, the world's first video game. Bushnell then had the idea to create a cheaper version of the game that could be marketed at the consumer level. With the pizza parlour idea on the back burner, the two focused on developing a cost-effective Spacewar! clone, leaving Ampex Corp and founding Syzygy to market the game. In 1971, they successfully completed the game, titled Computer Space. Although this game was not a huge success, it led to the development of PONG, which was tested in a Sunnyvale pub and proved hugely popular. Atari soon found themselves in a successful position, but Dabney left the company in early 1973 after a falling out with Bushnell.

Chuck E. Cheese's menu

Chuck E. Cheese is an American entertainment restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Atari, Inc.'s co-founder Nolan Bushnell. The chain is headquartered in Irving, Texas, and each location features arcade games, amusement rides, and musical shows in addition to serving pizza and other food items.

The menu at Chuck E. Cheese offers a variety of food and drink options, including:

Pizza

The restaurant offers a range of pizzas with different toppings and crusts. Customers can choose from options like the Homestyle BBQ Chicken Pizza, Spicy Hawaiian Pizza, Signature Meatball Pizza, and Spicy BBQ Piggy Pizza. They also offer gluten-free and vegetarian options. Additionally, customers can create their own pizzas by selecting their preferred size, crust, and toppings.

Wings

Chuck E. Cheese serves traditional bone-in buffalo wings and oven-baked all-white-meat nuggets. They offer various sauces, including hot buffalo, smoky BBQ, sweet chili, and lemon pepper. Wings are served with celery and ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Appetizers

The restaurant offers appetizers such as cheesy bread, french fries, and an app sampler that includes a combination of cheesy bread, french fries, and wings.

Desserts

Chuck E. Cheese offers a variety of desserts, including Buddy V's Cake Slice in vanilla rainbow, confetti, and chocolate fudge flavours. They also serve giant chocolate chip cookies, churros with different toppings, and cakes for special occasions.

Drinks

The drink options include soft drinks, a wide variety of PEPSI-COLA® products, and alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine (available only at select locations).

Salad Bar

Customers can also enjoy an all-you-can-eat salad bar with over 20 items, including toppings, real cheese, and fresh sides.

Chuck E. Cheese also offers Combo Deals, which include pizza, soft drinks, and discounts on gameplay purchases. The restaurant caters to birthday parties and special events, providing custom cakes and unlimited food and gameplay packages.

Games and entertainment at Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is an American entertainment restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Atari, Inc.'s co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Each location features arcade games, rides and musical shows, alongside serving pizza and other food items. With nearly 500 locations, Chuck E. Cheese is the largest kids' arcade in the world, providing a fun and safe place for families.

Arcade Games

Chuck E. Cheese has nearly 500 locations across the US and Canada, with around 70 games at every location. The games cater to a wide range of ages, from toddlers to teenagers, with interactive games, dance floors, basketball games, and classic arcade games. The games are played using the All You Can Play system, where you load a Play Pass card with points or minutes and then redeem E-Tickets for prizes.

Rides

Chuck E. Cheese has a range of amusement rides, including climb-on rides for little ones, such as Chuck E.'s Sketchbook Car. There is also a Trampoline Zone for kids under 52" tall, designed with safety in mind.

Shows

Chuck E. Cheese features musical shows with its main character and mascot, Chuck E. Cheese, a mouse (formerly a rat). There is also a live show presented by KIDZ BOP, where kids can dance with Chuck E. and step inside the Ticket Blaster.

Crimes at Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is a family-friendly restaurant with pizza, games, and entertainment for children. However, over the years, several crimes have taken place at various Chuck E. Cheese locations across the United States.

The 1993 Chuck E. Cheese Massacre

The deadliest mass shooting in Colorado at the time, and one of the most well-known crimes to have taken place at Chuck E. Cheese, was the 1993 shooting at a restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. On December 14, 1993, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, a former employee, shot and killed four employees and seriously injured a fifth. Dunlap was frustrated about being fired from the restaurant five months prior and sought revenge. He hid in the restaurant's restroom before closing and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol as they were cleaning up or preparing to leave. Dunlap was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later and was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 1996. However, his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2020 after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

Other Incidents

Aside from the Aurora shooting, other crimes and violent incidents have taken place at Chuck E. Cheese locations:

• A massive brawl involving 12 people broke out in Connecticut after two women bumped into each other and were told to "tone it down" by a manager.
• In 2015, a tire flew through the window of a Chuck E. Cheese in Parma, OH, injuring three children when a 63-year-old woman drove her car into a ditch and hit a telephone pole.
• In another incident in Parma, OH, five employees were attacked by a group of angry customers due to a malfunctioning photo machine.
• A fistfight broke out between two women, Wanda Jackson and another woman, over a stolen cellphone. Jackson was charged with third-degree assault after spitting in the other woman's face.
• A man accidentally picked up the wrong child after eating pizza at Chuck E. Cheese, realizing his mistake just in time.
• A grown woman pushed a two-year-old playing skee ball, leading to a physical altercation with the child's mother, which had to be broken up by staff.

Frequently asked questions