Chuck E. Cheese's Food: Fresh Or Reheated?

In February 2019, Chuck E. Cheese's denied a conspiracy theory that it served recycled pizza to customers. The claim was made in a viral video by YouTuber Shane Dawson, who has over 20 million subscribers. Dawson's video, which has garnered over 17 million views, alleged that the restaurant collected uneaten slices of pizza and combined them to create new pizzas. In response, Chuck E. Cheese's issued a statement refuting the claim and asserting that their pizzas are made to order with fresh dough, resulting in variations in shape but consistent deliciousness.

Chuck E. Cheese denies serving leftover pizza

Chuck E. Cheese has denied a conspiracy theory that it serves leftover pizza to customers. The popular American restaurant chain was forced to issue a statement after a YouTuber's theory went viral.

Shane Dawson, who has over 20 million subscribers on YouTube, posted a video in which he discussed his theory that the chain saves and reheats uneaten slices of pizza from customers' trays to serve to the next customer. Dawson's video, titled "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson", has been watched more than 14 million times and received thousands of outraged comments.

However, Chuck E. Cheese has refuted the claim, stating that their "pizzas are made to order and [they] prepare [their] dough fresh in the restaurant, which means that they're not always perfectly uniform in shape, but always delicious." They also took to Twitter to reassure customers that their pizzas are "fresh, never frozen" and "covered in freshly grated mozzarella cheese."

In response to the conspiracy theory, a spokesperson for Chuck E. Cheese told People: "The claims made in this video about Chuck E. Cheese's and our pizza are unequivocally false. No conspiracies here."

Dawson's video is part of a recent wave of conspiracy theories circulating on YouTube, prompting Google CEO Sundar Pichai to address the issue during a testimony to the US Congress in December 2018. Pichai stated that Google, which owns YouTube, is "constantly undertaking efforts to deal with misinformation."

Shane Dawson's conspiracy theory

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 uneaten pizza slices from customers' trays, reheats them, and serves them to the next customer. The video, which has garnered tens of millions of views, shows Dawson and his friends ordering several pizzas at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. They point out that the crust is misaligned and fails to form a perfect circle, and that the pepperonis are also misaligned. Dawson claims that the pizza looks as if it has been pieced together from different pizzas.

In response to Dawson's video, Chuck E. Cheese released an official statement refuting the claim:

> 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 theory had actually first surfaced on the internet around 2009, but it was largely forgotten until Dawson's video brought it back into the spotlight. Dawson's video sparked a wave of similar conspiracy theory videos on YouTube, with other YouTubers visiting Chuck E. Cheese and noticing the uneven slices. However, this doesn't prove Dawson's theory, and Chuck E. Cheese has stated that the uneven slices are due to the dough being prepared fresh in the restaurant, and that sometimes they make full cheese and full pepperoni pies and then combine them when they receive orders for half-and-half pizzas.

Chuck E. Cheese's statement refuting the claim

In February 2019, Chuck E. Cheese refuted claims that it served customers recycled pizza. This was in response to a conspiracy theory that went viral on YouTube, which alleged that the restaurant collected customers' uneaten pizza slices and reused them as new pizzas.

A spokesperson for Chuck E. Cheese provided the following statement to People:

> "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 company also took to Twitter to address the allegations, stating:

> "Sending love to our employees this Valentine's Day. 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."

The viral video, posted by YouTuber Shane Dawson, who has over 20 million subscribers, included photos of pizzas with differently-sized slices, which he claimed was evidence of the restaurant's practice of piecing together leftover slices. Dawson's video sparked outrage among Chuck E. Cheese's customers, garnering thousands of comments.

Google CEO's comments on conspiracy theories

In December 2018, Google CEO Sundar Pichai was forced to comment on the rising trend of conspiracy theories on YouTube, a Google-owned streaming platform, during a testimony to the US Congress. Pichai stated:

> We are constantly undertaking efforts to deal with misinformation. We have clearly stated policies and we have made lots of progress in many of the areas where over the past year – so, for example, in areas like terrorism, child safety, and so on. We are looking to do more.

Pichai's testimony came in response to questions regarding perceived bias in Google's search results, with some members of Congress suggesting that Google deliberately spread anti-conservative information while suppressing negative press for the Democrats. However, these allegations were largely baseless and driven by partisan conspiracy theories.

The hearing highlighted the disconnect between lawmakers and the technology they are tasked with regulating, as many of their questions revealed a lack of understanding of basic technological concepts. For example, Representative Lamar Smith referenced a claim that 96% of searches for Trump pointed to left-wing sources, while Representative Steve King asked why his 7-year-old granddaughter was receiving negative news alerts on her iPhone.

Despite the often ridiculous nature of the hearing, it did bring attention to important issues such as data harvesting, security principles, and the potential launch of a pro-Chinese government version of Google.

Similar conspiracy theories about recycled food

In February 2019, Chuck E. Cheese's denied a conspiracy theory that it served recycled pizza to customers. The claim was made by YouTuber Shane Dawson, who had over 20 million subscribers at the time. In a video titled "Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson", Dawson and his friend pointed out a pizza with uneven edges, which they said looked like it had been pieced together from different pizzas. They also noted that the pizza appeared to be cooked the same throughout, even though the cuts were uneven. The video garnered thousands of outraged comments and has been watched over 14 million times.

In response to the theory, Chuck E. Cheese's issued a statement refuting the claim:

> 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.

While Chuck E. Cheese's has denied the allegations, some have continued to question their practices, as the issue of uneven slices has not been adequately explained.

McDonald's Ice Cream Machines

McDonald's ice cream machines are frequently down for repair, leading to speculation that the machines are not actually to blame. The real issue is reportedly that the ice cream maker takes up to four hours to clean, and in a busy work environment, it can be challenging to find someone to tend to it. Rather than explaining this, employees often blame the issue on a malfunction.

Starbucks Name Misspellings

Starbucks baristas are known for misspelling customers' names on cups, and some believe this is done intentionally as a marketing ploy. The theory suggests that the more egregious the misspelling, the more likely customers are to post about it on social media, resulting in free publicity for Starbucks.

KFC's Mutant Chicken

KFC has been the subject of a conspiracy theory claiming that they use genetically engineered hens, or "mutant meat". The theory gained traction when the company rebranded from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC, leading some to believe that they no longer served regular chicken. KFC has publicly denied the rumor and even took the originators to court.

Chipotle Sabotage

In 2015, Chipotle's stock took a hit due to an E. coli outbreak. However, a few choice shares skyrocketed during this time, leading some to suspect that the outbreak was an act of corporate sabotage rather than an accident. While there has been no evidence to support this claim, it has fueled speculation about the company's practices.

Domino's Pizza Tracker

Domino's introduced a live-service tracker called Dom, which showed customers where their orders were in the delivery process. However, some people were skeptical, believing that the tracker was just a timer meant to dissuade customers from calling the restaurant. Domino's denied this theory, confirming that Dom is a live process manually updated at every step.

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