Chuck E. Cheese's Response To Shane Dawson's Controversy

In February 2019, Chuck E. Cheese responded to a conspiracy theory by YouTuber Shane Dawson, who alleged that the restaurant chain reuses leftover pizza slices to serve to other customers. In a statement, Chuck E. Cheese refuted Dawson's claims, stating that their pizzas are made to order and that the dough is prepared fresh in the restaurant, which can result in pizzas that are not perfectly uniform in shape. The statement prompted a response from Dawson on Twitter, which has since been deleted.

Shane Dawson's theory

In 2019, Shane Dawson, a YouTuber with over 20 million subscribers, released a video called "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson" as part of his "Conspiracy Theories" series. In the video, Dawson claimed that Chuck E. Cheese collects and reuses uneaten pizza slices from customers to serve as "fresh" pizzas. He provided evidence for his theory by pointing out that pizzas from the chain often have uneven edges and don't look like a single pizza. He also recalled an instance from his childhood where his family ordered a pizza with a single "veggie" slice.

Dawson's video led to a lot of reactions on Twitter, with people both supporting and mocking his theory. It also prompted a response from Chuck E. Cheese, who denied the claims, stating that their pizzas are made to order with fresh dough and that the uneven shape of the slices is due to the dough being prepared in the restaurant. They called Dawson's claims "unequivocally false" and said there were no conspiracies regarding their pizzas.

Dawson's theory about Chuck E. Cheese's pizza is not the first time such allegations have been made against the company. Similar rumours have been circulating on the internet since at least 2009, with people speculating that the restaurant recycles leftover pizza slices by combining them with other pies or using a dough grinder to reuse the pizza as new. However, these rumours have been denied by both past and present employees of Chuck E. Cheese.

Chuck E. Cheese's response

Chuck E. Cheese's has responded to YouTuber Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory that the restaurant chain reuses leftover pizza slices to make new pizzas. In a statement to E! News, a spokesperson for the company said:

> 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 the restaurant, which means that they're not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious.

The statement was also posted on Twitter, commenting on several users' posts.

Dawson's video, which is part of his "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson" series, amassed more than 7 million views in less than 24 hours and led to other creators and viewers demanding answers from Chuck E. Cheese's on Twitter.

The YouTuber attempted to prove his theory by ordering two pizzas from a Chuck E. Cheese's location and claimed that they were served with uneven edges. He also cited other examples of mismatched pizzas that he had seen online. However, he did not take his cameras into the kitchen or speak to any employees.

Despite the video, several past and present employees have denied the speculation. One current employee confirmed on Twitter that "we literally do not recycle our pizza slices," adding that she has seen "the kitchen guys make fresh pizza all the time a new order comes in."

Shane Dawson's reply

> "Imagine if Chuck E. Cheese just leaned into this whole thing and was like 'come try our pizza for yourself and see what happens 😏'. I think we all would respect that hussle hahaha."

However, Dawson later deleted this tweet, and it is unclear why he did so. There has been speculation about Chuck E. Cheese suing Dawson for damaging their brand name, but no legal action has been taken.

Speculation about legal action

Shane Dawson's video on Chuck E. Cheese's pizza-making practices sparked widespread speculation and prompted a firm denial from the company, which claimed that their pizzas are "made to order" with "fresh dough." Despite the refutation, the conspiracy theory gained traction, leading to discussions about potential legal repercussions for Dawson.

The speculation about legal action against Dawson arose due to the potentially libelous nature of his video, which accused Chuck E. Cheese of reusing leftover pizza slices. Libel is a serious legal issue, and the potential harm caused by such accusations to a business could be substantial. Chuck E. Cheese could have lost customers and suffered reputational damage as a result of the conspiracy theory.

While Chuck E. Cheese denied the allegations and stated that their pizzas are always made fresh, they did not indicate any intention to take legal action against Dawson at the time. However, the possibility of legal repercussions remained a topic of discussion, especially considering the significant impact of Dawson's video, which amassed millions of views and sparked widespread conversations on social media.

The potential for legal action against Dawson was further highlighted by the timing of his video, which coincided with YouTube's efforts to combat the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation on its platform. YouTube had previously outlined its plans to reduce the visibility of "borderline content" that could misinform or harm users, and Dawson's video seemed to fall into this category.

As of the time of the sources, there was no confirmation of any legal action being taken by Chuck E. Cheese against Dawson. However, the situation underscored the potential consequences of spreading conspiracy theories, especially when they involve false accusations against businesses.

Past employees' input

In response to Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory, several past and present employees of Chuck E. Cheese's have spoken out, refuting the claim that the restaurant chain recycles leftover pizzas.

One former employee took to Reddit to explain that the pizzas at Chuck E. Cheese's are hand-cut, which accounts for their irregular shapes. They further stated that employees have to cut the pizzas quickly as there are usually several more coming out right behind. This person claimed to have seen millions of pizzas cut and asserted that they always look a little off, especially if the cutter is new and still learning.

A current employee of the chain also took to Twitter to confirm that they do not recycle pizza slices, stating that they have seen kitchen staff making fresh pizzas every time a new order comes in. They also mentioned witnessing leftover pizzas being thrown out, further refuting Dawson's theory.

Another past employee, The Sage Stage, posted a YouTube video claiming that Dawson's ideas about Chuck E. Cheese's are ridiculous.

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