You’re just learning this? They have removed nearly all the animatronics, so that already takes away 90% of the charm and cool factor. Disney still has a some of them.

Also Chuck E. Cheese hasn’t had pinball in nearly 20 years!

Tokens? Most places use cards these days. This seems like an old man yelling at cloud moment lol but I do agree Chuck E Cheese's probably sucks

Whether it be 1980 or 2022, coins rule. That is part of the magic. Swiping a card could bring back memories of credit card debt.

I still want to try a pizza from there as it has been easily 15 years since I've been there...

You took the time to write this rant...send it to the powers that be at Chuck E Cheese. I'd like to believe that feedback from their target customers doesn't fall on deaf ears. You may be surprised at their response.

Unfortunately, most arcades these days are going to redemption crap. Which is insane because most of the cabs could take up the size of a Chevy Suburban.

I get you about the cards...it's about maintenance honestly. Rather than having millions of tokens to manage, just put it all on a slender card.

And hence the lack of pinball machines as well...

As someone who runs an arcade, you would not believe how much those massive garbage redemption games earn. I have Fish Tales, Seawitch, Sorcerer, Hollywood Heat, and Party Animal, all in great working order, next to a one of those “crank and win” games, and some cranes. They make easily 2000% of what the pins do. That’s the actual average percentage, by the way.
If I was unscrupulous and wasn’t addicted to pinball, I’d put nothing but cranes and redemption in.

Charlie Cheddar is what they should call it now that it’s grown up style. The kiddo atmosphere has been gone for some time. The card style pay system, the casino type games and no tickets have absolutely removed most of the fun. It’s all grown up style now.

Ticket redemption was all about the thrill of those tickets pumping out of the machine. It was even better when you could get one more ticket out sometimes if you carefully pulled on them. The sound of the changer giving tokens and running around with a cup of tokens or a bulging pocket. The clanking around swishing fore and aft, hitting the front of your leg the the back of your leg as you ran. The excitement when you found a token in a coin return or one laying on the ground. It’s all gone.

Recently the staff allowed me and family in to take some video of the animatronic band. They are doing full renovations of the franchise which will wipe them out along with any remaining nostalgia.
The family rolled their eyes but it was my birthday and promised 10 minutes max with no pizza.

Oh, I have no doubt. They wouldn't be in arcades if they didn't make money.

And from a maintenance standpoint, I bet their downtime is very low as well compared to pins.

Listen, while we're getting the kiddies addicted to gambling via redemption games, we might as well be getting them used to credit card debt as well.

Next time find an arcade around you. Most will rent out the place all to yourselves for a reasonable price. We are at $300 for 2 hours, 50 people included. Order good pizza to be delivered to the party. No oversized redemption games, no just a few good games, no dealing with all ages, no card system (at least for us for now), and yes to pinball in good working order because the arcade cares about that not CEC, and best of all no kiddie casino.

True!

The 80s and 90s were a magical time. Don't worry: cost-cutting and "efficiency" will keep nuking the traditional fun we cling to with our cherished memories.

After all, one of the things everyone here let's us know when we complain about price increases: "It's not about taking care of your customers!! It's about making money!!!"

Hard to do when your customers leave you : ).

Thank god! Chuck E. Cheese is notorious for destroying their machines when they retire them. I can't even imagine the number of pinball machines that they destroyed over the years.

Should have went to Major Magics instead!

Monster Mini-Golf in Jessup, MD. Decent place for a kids party.

Chuck declared bankruptcy in 2020. Destroyed 7 billion tickets (with a B, almost 65 forty foot cargo containers' worth) because it was less expensive than distributing them. Plus the mechanics of the ticket dispenser the technicians don't have to deal with now. But yes, Chuck hasn't aged well.

When did CEC not blow? I can count on one had the times I've been, and the most recent was probably 15 years ago. I detested it then and I'm sure I would detest it today.

BTW, always cracked me up they served beer there. However, after being to a few b-day parties, I understand why.

I went to a CC in Annapolis years ago when my son was younger (20years ago) for birthday parties. It sucked back then too. Oily greasy thin pizza, broken machines, dirty floors and bathrooms. My son loved the plastic ball pit, but I think he got sick after every time we went. I even had to get him out of the tunnels overhead one time as he just sat up there looking down at the place. Was surprised it held my weight.

The local bowling alley in Crofton with small arcade has one worn out pinball, that you have to buy one of those credit cards to operate. That way, it was explained to me, that no one has to refill the quarters machine, fill the ticket machine, staff a ticket redemption center. That also means no Maintenace when the machines break down. I called the phone number on the White Water pinball. I got a rude operator that said, the machines make money even when they are broke. Most people or kids do not understand it is broken and then put the credit card up to the machines. The machines take your money and then you find out it is not working. I unplugged it to save others the grief. He wanted $10k for the pinball, as he said he knew what it was worth. I explained all the issues it had (worn cabinet/playfield/back box, missing broken rubbers, floppy loose flippers, credit dot, etc.). He did not care and hung up on me.

The old company was called Showbiz Pizza Place - and for a kid - it was magic. I still can remember the times we went there - watching the show (which was damn near as good as Walt's early work with animatronics), playing the new Dragon's Lair game, eating pizza - best times ever.

CC always has been shite. They were back then too.

Chuck E Cheese is for all you 80's kids.

For us 90's kids, Chuck E Cheese was for the poors. DZ was where kids wanna be!

During the pandemic our local Chuck E Cheese hanged a bed sheet with "5$ cheese pizza" sloppily spray painted on it. Just sad.

Now they are re-opened in a newly renovated shopping center with a brand new sign! Still no cars in the parking lot though.

Documentary about why there's no longer animatronics at Chucky cheese

CEC still has this bizarre mindset of the 70s and 80s “if I sell my old stuff or give it to competitors, I’ll be competing against my old machines” despite the fact that both them and their competitors know the entire reason you get rid of the old machines is because they don’t earn and they’re good for parts and the dumpster.

Makes ZERO sense. If the old machines made money, then everyone would be doing it. You STILL don’t see many retrocades because it is difficult to do it right and actually be profitable.

Of course it’s gone downhill. It’s a place that’s always been aimed at 8 year olds and you are in your thirties now.

Their pizza was always legendarily horrible if it’s “ok” now that’s apparently a massive upgrade!!

Nostalgia is great and powerful but sometimes it can cloud our memories as we age into our dotage. Some things you loved as a kid and can’t tolerate now have changed a lot less than you think.

I mean when was the last time you got a slurpee or sat through an episode of Speed Racer?

Anyway an interesting perspective, but I suspect I’ll go the rest of my life without ever visiting a Chuck E Cheese for the first time since I was 9 and I think I’m ok with it.

pasqually's pizza and wings on door dash is chuck e cheese just like its just wings is chili's

Title says “ Chuck E Cheese Blows Now”.
I’m thinking poor Chuck must be really down on his luck and need the money.

See my post above

We’ll Hopefully the kids enjoyed it at least and that’s is and always has been the point of that business. Kids don’t mind if pizza tastes like wet cardboard.

I do have plenty of memories of the place and I always thought it was a blast running around with tokens playing all the games I wanted. Don’t remember my dad looking like he was having a particularly awesome time.

Chuck E Cheese isn't the only victim of being past it's glory days:

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sataneatscheesepizza

My memories of CEC was having an arcade. Centipede, Tron, Pengo, Dig Dug, Tempest, Ms Pac-Man, Sea Wolf, Galaga. All the classics in a dedicated arcade room. One token per play, 4 token $1. You can get a similar feel today at a nickel arcade.

Yeah the magic is certainly gone.
Although still do enjoy an occasional spiked slurpee.

An indoor ball pit or playground for a dozen little kids? And you thought the cup situation was gross?

So at least they are improving in some areas...

His kid was invited to a birthday party there, so no choice other than not going.

I remember Tempest also. 80’s was the golden age for CeC. And back then their pizza was actually pretty good. Last time I went nothing but diarrhea.

Quote of the day here.

CEC is pretty bad ,but not because of redemption. All the arcades are card redemption. We have an ultimate pizza and my kids love it. Buffet, large arcade, go carts, bumper cars, rollercoaster, and laser tag. CEC has none of this. Even when the kids go because they get passes for Christmas it ends up costing me a crap load of money.

My kids also would rather have cards than tickets. They don't like carrying the tickets. My littlest kids I have to get away from the gambling machines that go through a dollar in 10 seconds.

It was just a joke on my part, Major Magics was a competitor here in the midwest but went out of business years ago. Amazing place.

I miss back when it was ShowBiz. Just an honest rat like "hey come play my games and grab a slice." He'd even play you a song. Now he's this old hip son of a bitch who runs a redemption empire after ditching the classics. It was never the same.

I don't even remember if the pizza was any good. I have more memories at Peter Piper Pizza anyways.

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Dude! Peter Piper Pizza was so awesome. When I was 13 I lived in Mesa in 1996-1997 and there was one across the street from me on N. Gilbert Rd. I was there constantly.

Did anyone have a Celebration Station? Lot of good games . I think it was based out of Iowa.

It's funny as I went to these places to just play the games , didn't even think of food. If it was within a fair distance, friends all rode our bikes.