Charles E Cheese

[myntik1]

How on god's green earth is this place still in business?  I'll admit it's been a long while since I've been there, probably close to a decade.  But I had no idea it was that overpriced and disgusting.  I went to the one in my area a few times as a kid (dating myself) when it was Showbiz and was able to hold down an outdated game for half an hour with a quarter.  When I went to the one in my area years ago it was down but not out.  For those without kids you go inside and pay a ridiculous amount for a meal.  I think I got a medium roni pie, 3 soft drinksdrinks, an order of fries and $5 worth of tokens for 33 American.  Most of the redemption games didn't work properly, and the food was the worst ever.  As a 7 yr college vet I spent a good amount of time around a microwave waiting for a pizza to finish cooking.  And somehow Dominoes is able to throw together a pie of the same size for 3.19 on Tuesdays.  The thing they served us was basically warm cardboard.  I didn't go in expecting an arcade of my youth with a gourmet pie, but I left there thoroughly disappointed.  I think even my 3 yr old was unimpressed, but he now wants a skee ball game.  If only I could partner with a daycare facility I could open my own arcade/pizza joint.  I'm pretty sure I need to offer childcare to accommodate my clientele. I would be light on the 3-12 crowd, but heavy on the 33-40yr old set that still want to play Karate Champ.

[Jouster]

I agree...I've been to a CEC around here a few times with my nephew...he loves it.  Me, not so much.  There are only a handful of games that are non-redemption games, and most of those are driving games were the little kids have jerked it back and forth so much, it never goes were you steer.  They do have a Simpsons pin, so I spend most of my playing time on that.

Yeah...I remember Showtime as well...and as a kid, I remember the pizza being good.  Of course back then I think nearly everything that wasn't made at home was good.  Any reason to get out I guess??

At least their beer is cold though.

Jouster

[AtomSmasher]

I think you may have gone to a bad location or something because the one near me isn't that bad.  The pizza is actually a lot better then it used to be, and there are plenty of coupons to be found that bring the prices down to reasonable levels.  I've been probably 3 or 4 times in the past 3 or 4 years for my niece and nephews birthday parties, and while pretty much every game is for little kids, I generally make it a game to try and get all the jackpots on the games.  Very few, if any, of the games have been broken when I went, and getting the jackpots can prove challenging on a few games.  Also, my niece and nephew absolutely love the place.

[Ken Layton]

Contact corporate and tell them of your experience.

The one across town from me is well run and all the games work, are clean, well lit. And that is my competitor!

[FrizzleFried]

I don't believe you can even go in to a CEC any more without a kid?

[bishmasterb]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of CEC (I hate screaming wild children who aren't my own) but I do have to say the handful that I've frequented in the past few years were relatively clean, well run and the games seemed to work well for the most part. My kids certainly loved going to them.

Now when I was 12, CEC was the coolest place on Earth short of Disneyland perhaps.

[The_Tyler_Black]

We had a huge one here in panama city, and i was horrible as a kid there i had a b-day party there when the "live band of robots" started smoking and malfunctioning! It recently got closed (i think by the health dept) and was torn down and developed into a gas station!

[TOK]

I don't believe you can even go in to a CEC any more without a kid?

If you try, you should definitely be arrested.

[Jdurg]

Never had a CEC in my area until I was way too old to be going to them, therefore I've never been in one.  For me, the pizza place as a kid was Pizza Hut.  I remember the restaurants being somewhat dark, but having a few arcade games in the corners and pizza + breadsticks that seemed like the best pizza on earth.  For some reason I stopped going to them and then grew up and went away to college, etc.

The other week I saw that the one I went to when I was a kid and loved going to was still open.  So a buddy of mine and myself went there during the lunch break at work.  It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen.  The place had gotten so ghetto and white-trash filled that I felt ill just being in there.  "Women" with 5 kids all in diapers and dirty shirts going to the buffet and basically taking an entire pizza back with them.  300+ pound women wearing clothes that are too small and showing WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much for a woman of that size.  Guys in there wearing wife beaters and just looking as if they took a massive methamphetamine hit, beat their wife, molested one of their three daughters, then came to Pizza Hut to shut them up.  It was appalling.  The "waitresses" looked bothered that someone showed up, and it just completely destroyed all good memories I had of the place.  They should just tear it down now.   

[protokatie]

I went to CEC only once when I was a kid (for some other kids Bday). I think all I did was play Skeeball there.

The big amusment place for me was a place called "Bear right" (with a bear as a mascot) in concord NH.  I dont know if this was a franchise or a single place, but it was cool. Awesome pizza, a few small shops (glass elevators even). The entire basement was an arcade Unfortunetly I was a kid so I only remember the pizza, glass elevators and playing skeeball and the robocop game... (Maybe that is all I did?)

[TOK]

Never had a CEC in my area until I was way too old to be going to them, therefore I've never been in one.  For me, the pizza place as a kid was Pizza Hut.  I remember the restaurants being somewhat dark, but having a few arcade games in the corners and pizza + breadsticks that seemed like the best pizza on earth.  For some reason I stopped going to them and then grew up and went away to college, etc.

The other week I saw that the one I went to when I was a kid and loved going to was still open.  So a buddy of mine and myself went there during the lunch break at work.  It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen.  The place had gotten so ghetto and white-trash filled that I felt ill just being in there.  "Women" with 5 kids all in diapers and dirty shirts going to the buffet and basically taking an entire pizza back with them.  300+ pound women wearing clothes that are too small and showing WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much for a woman of that size.  Guys in there wearing wife beaters and just looking as if they took a massive methamphetamine hit, beat their wife, molested one of their three daughters, then came to Pizza Hut to shut them up.  It was appalling.  The "waitresses" looked bothered that someone showed up, and it just completely destroyed all good memories I had of the place.  They should just tear it down now.   

Doesn't sound THAT bad. How was the pizza?

 

[havic626]

the CEC around were i live get alot of business in my location, but really only on weekends.  The games really suck, the pizza is terrible, and its way over priced.  Parents love to take there kids there, i know ive taken them a few times.

[Squigums]

I don't believe you can even go in to a CEC any more without a kid?

If you try, you should definitely be arrested.

A friend of mine and I have gone to it on our own once or twice in the past year or two...  because he likes to check out the arcade machines and try to get one. We had no problem getting in. We're relatively 'young', but at our age we really shouldn't be there.

So weird getting stamped just to walk around and play a game of TMNT, I think it was Turtles in time.

[SavannahLion]

I've hit a lot of pizza places in my youth, wasn't a lot of pizza parlor my parents and I didn't try at least once. Oddly enough, CEC is probably the only place I have never visited... ever. Oh, don't think I didn't try, my parents never took me. Now I live within fifteen minutes drive of at least three of them. Even now, living on my own, any appeal of CEC just isn't there any more. Bad pizza, watered down beer and screaming kids isn't my bag of chips.

It's all a moot point anyways. The hottest place kids want to go to nowadays is the closest to CEC I've ever been to, John's Incredible Pizza Co.. Mass produced from frozen ingredients, JIP has a huge variety of pizza flavors (only place I've ever seen offer Peanut Butter Pizza amongst others) and they do some serious price gouging for their party packs. $8 for their "buffet" and soda plus whatever you pay for their game credits (ATM-like thing for video games) whereas the party pack was something along the lines of $23 per person. Whoop dee ---smurfing--- doo, $23 bucks and we get to use their private 6'x10' party room. Their game room is huge, supposedly bigger than any of the local CEC's from what I hear.

I say that since about the mid 90's, the quality of pizza parlors went to hell in a hand basket. $5 for a medium pizza is cool, but I would like more than six slices of pepperoni, thank you very much.

[RayB]

New locations are still being built all over suburbia here (Ontario Canada). I think it's relatively new here (as in, they started popping up within the last 10 to 15 years).

I wouldn't set foot in there if you paid me.

[Ginsu Victim]

We went out to eat at a place right next to Chuck E Cheese and I thought about going over there after I was done eating, but thought it would look funny for a 30 year old to walk in by himself. Even if I had got my wife to go in with me, it would still look wrong for a childless couple to come walking in.

[SavannahLion]

We went out to eat at a place right next to Chuck E Cheese and I thought about going over there after I was done eating, but thought it would look funny for a 30 year old to walk in by himself. Even if I had got my wife to go in with me, it would still look wrong for a childless couple to come walking in.

I'm told it doesn't matter much. I've asked the same question to someone who goes regularly. CEC stamps your hands and the child(ren) you came in with. On the turn around, when your child leaves, (s)he can't leave with anyone that doesn't have a matching stamp.

[ahofle]

The ones around here are also fairly nice.  The food is better than in the past (really nice looking salad bar even), but definitely overpriced.  And yes, the vast majority of the games blow, but they do have a pinball machine and a beer tap which immediately makes it better than 99% of the other places I am forced to patronize with my kids. 

[CheffoJeffo]

New locations are still being built all over suburbia here (Ontario Canada). I think it's relatively new here (as in, they started popping up within the last 10 to 15 years).

I wouldn't set foot in there if you paid me.

But, Ray, you don't have kids -- mine love to play games outside of the house.

The alternative amusement facility of choice in SW Ontario seems to be places like Woody Woodchucks, which aren't that bad (some decent vids in addition to the ubiquitous redemption machines) ,except they don't keep their pins running nicely (!) and aren't licensed to serve alcohol (!!) ... ugh ...

 

[Dartful Dodger]

For those without kids you go inside and pay a ridiculous amount for a meal. 

I'd say that's a short list and the people that are on that list are probably on another list.

[protokatie]

I'd say that's a short list and the people that are on that list are probably on another list.

No, these are the ones who havent gotten caught yet...

Also if I worked next to a CeC I could see myself going in on lunch break just to get a slice of pizza or something. Maybe even play a few games. Then again, I prolly wouldnt since I generally hate kids... We need some sort of segregation law that makes it so kids dont go into places I like. (by kids I mean anyone under 25 years of age)

[CheffoJeffo]

We need some sort of segregation law that makes it so kids dont go into places I like. (by kids I mean anyone under 25 years of age)

I'm guessing that kids are thinking the same thing ...

 

[protokatie]

I'm guessing that kids are thinking the same thing ...

 Wink

I DO enjoy hitting "kids" by "accident" with my walking cane! 

Maybe we should start a new business. Chuck e get the hell out of here you young-whiper-snapers!



Damn, Im not even 30 yet, but I feel old...

[ClubNinja]

... a place called "Bear right" (with a bear as a mascot) in concord NH. 

Big thumbs up.  I NEVER went to a CEC as a kid, but did get into this place and it was stellar. 

[gavkiwi]

my Local CEC has been 'refurbished', they have some classics aswell as some newer games, the new Afterburner is pretty sweet. The Pizza looks better than it use to, and you can always find a coupon online, the kids love it 

[SithMaster]

Either you people have been to the same CeC in New Jersey as me or they all have the same games.  I'm leaning towards you have all been to the same one as me.

[protokatie]

... a place called "Bear right" (with a bear as a mascot) in concord NH. 

Big thumbs up.  I NEVER went to a CEC as a kid, but did get into this place and it was stellar. 

Where was the Bear Right? The only place I ever saw one was in Concord,NH. Is it actually a chain or just one place? And yes, Bear Right was definetly a diamond in the rough compared to CEC...

[ClubNinja]

Where was the Bear Right? The only place I ever saw one was in Concord,NH. Is it actually a chain or just one place? And yes, Bear Right was definetly a diamond in the rough compared to CEC...

Concord NH.  Also the only one I ever saw.