4 ms·

Growing up during the arcade/video game boom, Showbiz/Chuck E Cheese was an amazing place (ours converted over some point I'm not sure if they all did or what)

Growing up during the arcade/video game boom, Showbiz/Chuck E Cheese was an amazing place (ours converted over some point I'm not sure if they all did or what) It's kind of weird how in the last ten or so years it devolved into a place more famous for fights and shootings between drunken parents, than pizza and video games.

EvanAnderson 3y ago
The history behind ShowBiz is pretty interesting. A prospective licensed of Pizzatime Theatre (the company behind Chuck E Cheese) bailed on the license agreement, formed a ShowBiz, and eventually merged with Pizzatime. Details: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShowBiz_Pizza_Place https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShowBiz_Pizza_Place
- cpeterso 3y ago
  I also recommend “The Rock-afire Explosion”, a 2008 documentary about the rise and fall of Showbiz Pizza and the fate of The Rock-afire Explosion, ShowBiz Pizza’s animatronic band. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1327599/ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1327599/
tempest_ 3y ago
Alcohol has better margins than pizza so they probably did not want to remove it from the menu despite the obvious problems it causes.
- dangus 3y ago
  It's also not just alcohol; it's probably also how their primary business involves gatherings of extended families. It's a place you go almost exclusively to have a party like that, so it's like how you know there will be an argument with your uncle about politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
briHass 3y ago
I have many fond memories of birthday parties/outings at Showbiz. I was mostly aging out of it by the time it converted to CeC in the early 90s. As a young (and current) nerd, I always liked the animatronics, and how can you top pizza, free refills on drinks, ball pits, ticket-reward-prizes, and arcade games as a kid. My children are almost at the age where they would love something like that also; it's too bad they're gone. I haven't found anything that seems to fit the same space for kids. Sure, there are bouncy house places or sports places, but those always feel a little too rushed. You get your block of time, and you are shoved out the door when the clock hits your hour so they can cycle through the next group. SB/CeC didn't work like that: you could keep playing until your parents didn't want to give you any more tokens. Parents would hang back at the table and nibble on (crappy) pizza and a beer while the kids ran around and played. I think it was just part of that 80s parenting style, where you didn't feel like it was necessary to micromanage your kids' activities.
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  I took my now six year old to a Chuck E. Cheese on his second birthday. He liked it, but it wasn’t fun enough to go go back. Maybe when he’s older we will do an arcade birthday party (lots of arcade style places that do parties these days).
brewdad 3y ago
Duck Hunt is the gateway to confronting Uncle Joe about his views on welfare programs.

EvanAnderson 3y ago

The history behind ShowBiz is pretty interesting. A prospective licensed of Pizzatime Theatre (the company behind Chuck E Cheese) bailed on the license agreement, formed a ShowBiz, and eventually merged with Pizzatime. Details: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShowBiz_Pizza_Place https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShowBiz_Pizza_Place

cpeterso 3y ago
I also recommend “The Rock-afire Explosion”, a 2008 documentary about the rise and fall of Showbiz Pizza and the fate of The Rock-afire Explosion, ShowBiz Pizza’s animatronic band. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1327599/ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1327599/

tempest_ 3y ago

Alcohol has better margins than pizza so they probably did not want to remove it from the menu despite the obvious problems it causes.

dangus 3y ago
It's also not just alcohol; it's probably also how their primary business involves gatherings of extended families. It's a place you go almost exclusively to have a party like that, so it's like how you know there will be an argument with your uncle about politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

briHass 3y ago

I have many fond memories of birthday parties/outings at Showbiz. I was mostly aging out of it by the time it converted to CeC in the early 90s. As a young (and current) nerd, I always liked the animatronics, and how can you top pizza, free refills on drinks, ball pits, ticket-reward-prizes, and arcade games as a kid. My children are almost at the age where they would love something like that also; it's too bad they're gone. I haven't found anything that seems to fit the same space for kids. Sure, there are bouncy house places or sports places, but those always feel a little too rushed. You get your block of time, and you are shoved out the door when the clock hits your hour so they can cycle through the next group. SB/CeC didn't work like that: you could keep playing until your parents didn't want to give you any more tokens. Parents would hang back at the table and nibble on (crappy) pizza and a beer while the kids ran around and played. I think it was just part of that 80s parenting style, where you didn't feel like it was necessary to micromanage your kids' activities.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
I took my now six year old to a Chuck E. Cheese on his second birthday. He liked it, but it wasn’t fun enough to go go back. Maybe when he’s older we will do an arcade birthday party (lots of arcade style places that do parties these days).

brewdad 3y ago

Duck Hunt is the gateway to confronting Uncle Joe about his views on welfare programs.