Children’s birthday parties used to mean video games, singing robotic animals and lots of pizza. And the brand that brought all those concepts together under one roof for a generation of enthusiastic kids was Chuck E. Cheese.
By the 2010s, changes in children’s entertainment habits and a shift to healthier eating started to weigh on the business.
In June 2020, the restaurant chain’s parent company, CEC Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy after years of lackluster sales and a shutdown of its venues due to stay-at-home orders.
After numerous reinventions, nearly $2 billion in debt and more than 40 years in business, will Chuck E. Cheese be able to survive bankruptcy?
