Privately held company | |
Traded as | CEC |
Industry | Family entertainment centers,fast food |
Founded | May 16, 1977 San Jose, California, U.S. |
Founder |
Nolan Bushnell, (Pizza Time Theatre, Inc.), Gene Landrum, |
Headquarters | Irving, Texas, U.S. |
Number of locations
|
590 stores (2015) |
Area served
|
North America, South America, Middle East |
Key people
|
Michael Magusiak (CEO-retired (2014)) Nolan Bushnell (Founder) |
Products | Pizza, arcade games, kiddie rides, birthday parties |
Revenue | US$248,133,000 (1st Q.2009), 1% from 1st Q.2008 |
US$59,214,000 (1st Q.2009) from 1st Q.2008 | |
US$34,052,000 (1st Q.2009) 1% from 1st Q.2008 | |
Total assets |
|
Total equity | US$725,868,000 at 2009-03-29 1% from 4th Q.2008 |
Parent | CEC Entertainment Concepts, LP |
Subsidiaries | Showbiz Pizza Place, Peter Piper Pizza |
Website | www |
Chuck E. Cheese's (formerly Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza) is a chain of American family entertainment centers and restaurants. The chain is the primary brand of CEC Entertainment, Inc. and is headquartered in Irving, Texas. The establishment serves pizza and other menu items, complemented by arcade games, amusement rides, and animatronic displays as a focus of entertainment for the entire family. The brand derives its name from its main animatronic character Chuck E. Cheese, a comedic mouse who sings and interacts with guests.
Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California, was the first location to open in May 1977. The concept was authored by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, credited with bringing video games such as Pong to the mainstream. The Pizza Time Theatre was the first family restaurant to integrate food, animated entertainment, and an indoor arcade. Following a filing for bankruptcy, the chain was acquired by competitor Showbiz Pizza Place in 1984, forming Showbiz Pizza Time, Inc. In 1990, the company began unifying the two brands with the goal of renaming every location to Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza. They redesigned the logo in 1994, dropping Pizza from each store's name. In 1998, Showbiz Pizza Time, Inc. became CEC Entertainment, Inc., and the company operates 590 locations as of 2015.
Chuck E. Cheese's, originally referred to as Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre, was founded by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell who was seeking to expand the purview of video game arcades beyond more adult locations like pool halls to a kid and family friendly venue. Bushnell’s experience in the amusement park industry, as well as his fondness of The Walt Disney Company, was influential in the conceptualization of the Pizza Time Theatre concept. The first location opened in San Jose, California in 1977, and was labeled as the first family restaurant to integrate food, cheap animated entertainment, and an indoor arcade. In 1978, Bushnell purchased the Pizza Time Theatre concept from Atari's then-corporate parent, Warner Communications.