- Chuck E. Cheese launched Chuck’s Arcade, a new arcade experience geared towards adults.
- Chuck’s Arcade combines new and classic arcade games.
- There are currently 10 Chuck’s Arcade locations across the US, with more planned.
For most adults, the entertainment chain Chuck E. Cheese brings childhood memories of singing animatronic critters, flashing video games, tickets and toys, and cheap pizza, or possibly grown-up memories of birthday parties and special nights for their own kids.
The company is tapping into that nostalgia with its new “Chuck’s Arcade,” a new arcade aimed at adults that combines the hottest new games like Jurassic Park, Halo and Connect Four Hoops alongside Gen X classics such as Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong and Centipede, according to a June 30 release.
“It’s where the classics meet the new-school players,” the website says.
There are already 10 Chuck’s Arcade locations at malls across the country, some of which were previously Fun Sport Arcades, including one at the Tyrone Square mall in St. Petersburg.
Three Florida hotels also boast versions of the Chuck’s Arcade retro-style experience, according to chucke.fandom.com, including the Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites and the Marriott Village at Lake Buena Vista in Orlando and the Westgate Town Center Resort, where it’s called the “Mystery Fun House Arcade.”
Every location has a unique design and a different lineup of games, and each one is overseen by one of the classic animatronic characters like Chuck E. Cheese or one of the members from Munch’s Make Believe Band, the furry, relentless cheerful animatronic band that entertained or unnerved children for years before the company retired them in 2024.
“Chuck E. Cheese has spent decades mastering the arcade experience — it’s in our DNA,” David McKillips, Chuck E. Cheese CEO, said in a release. “Thanks to the expertise of our talented technicians and the successful transformation of almost 500 fun centers worldwide, we’ve built the operational and creative foundation to take our brand beyond our traditional four walls.
“Chuck’s Arcade is a natural evolution — an opportunity to extend our arcade legacy into new formats that engage both lifelong fans and a new generation through a curated mix of retro classics and cutting-edge experiences.”
Chuck E. Cheese makes moves to bring in grown-ups
As the iconic company nears its 50th anniversary, Chuck E. Cheese has been working to attract new audiences after a challenging period during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, the company launched a $300 million fun center remodel plan “to meet the active play needs of young children that improve their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being,” the company said in a release.
Trampoline zones were added to many existing locations. A new birthday show was added to Chuck E,. Cheese’s YouTube channel. In December 2023, a “grown-up menu” was introduced, featuring various pizza toppings, more complex wing sauces and rubs, meatballs in Sweet Chili, Spicy Korean BBQ, or Buffalo BBQ sauce, and three different types of cake.
Where are the Chuck’s Arcade locations?
So far, there are 10, with another opening this month:
- California: Brea Mall, 1065 Brea Mall, Brea (opening July 15)
- Connecticut: Trumbull Mall, 5065 Main Street, Trumbull
- Florida: Tyrone Square Mall, 2287 Tyrone Square, St. Petersburg
- Georgia: Mall of Georgia, 3333 Buford Drive, Buford
- Missouri: Ward Parkway Center, 8809 State Line Road, Kansas City
- Oklahoma
- Penn Square Mall, 1901 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City
- Pheasant Lane Mall, 7021 S Memorial Drive, Tulsa
- New Hampshire:
- Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Hwy, Nashua
- The Mall at Rockingham Park, 99 Rockingham Park Blvd, Salem
- New York: Eastview Mall, 7979 Pittsford-Victor Road (Route 96), Victor
- Texas: Cielo Vista Mall, 8401 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso
What is Chuck E. Cheese?
The place where “a kid can be a kid,” the family entertainment giant began in the 1970s as Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater in San Jose, California, the passion project of Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari.
The idea was to offer a single place for arcade and video games, food, music, and fun for kids and their grown-ups. If you were born since then, you probably went to at least one of the half-a-million birthday parties hosted there every year.
Aside from the endless rows of games, Chuck E. Cheese was known for its animatronic characters, which Bushnell said in interviews were inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland.
He had an animatronic mascot built to entertain children while their pizza was cooking, which was supposed to be a coyote, until he got a closer look at the rat costume he’d actually bought. The more marketable Charles Entertainment Cheese was born.
Where can I find a Chuck E. Cheese near me in Florida?
According to the company’s website, there are currently 31 Chuck E. Cheese locations in Florida. You can find them at locations.chuckecheese.com/.
