Let’s face it, our kids love Chuck E. Cheese’s. If nothing else, they’ve always lived up to the motto: “Where a Kid Can be a Kid.” But if I’m being totally honest, it wasn’t exactly a place where parents wanted to be parents. For me, personally, I took my kids there because of the joy that it gave them… but it wasn’t my favorite place to hang out. But that’s all changed.
They Blew My Mind
I am proud to announce that I have been invited to be an ambassador for Chuck E. Cheese’s along with several other online influencers – and we’re known as Chuck E’s Champions (cool name …right!). So for the next year, we will be sharing all of the amazing changes that Chuck E. Cheese’s has made to make the experience even more enjoyable for both the parents and the kids.
And the first thing we did as a group was to fly down to the CEC Entertainment Headquarters (Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company) in Dallas, so we could learn about all of the exciting changes they’ve made. Our first stop was to the Chuck E. Cheese’s at the Grapevine Mills, Texas’ location, so we could experience their changes first hand.
Next, we went to Chuck E. Cheese’s headquarters to meet their amazing team and learn about how they have really been focusing on improving the experience for the parents. (But they also made it clear that their main priority will always be to make kids happy.) Chuck E. Cheese’s CEO, Tom Leverton, shared that they want to transition parents “from tolerate to appreciate to love it.”
Here are a few things that I learned during my visit, which actually blew my mind. And some of these things are not new…I just never knew them.
They completely redesigned the food
They brought on celebrity Chef Gregory Casale to completely revamp their menu and provide more “grown-up options” that will appeal to adults (especially moms.)
We want to give the parents an extra reason to say ‘yes’ [to coming to CEC] and what better way than through the food. We’ve elevated the food so that it appeals to moms and parents. ~ Chef Gregory
No More Tokens
They are replacing tokens with the Play Passes, which will allow you to load a card with points and play games via tapping the pass. You can even register the passes so that if you lose it, then it can be replaced. By the end of 2017, play passes will be rolled out to all stores nationwide.
WI-FI in every restaurant
Need I say more. I think we all know the benefits of Wi-Fi in the restaurants.
Easy listening
Their music levels now allow for conversations, and they’ve even started playing top 40 music (kid-appropriate of course). And yes, they’ve kept our favorite original Chuck E. Cheese’s songs too.
They serve beer and wine
This is not new…but it is new to me. I had no idea that Chuck E. Cheese’s has been serving beer and wine for years now.
All of the improvements that Chuck E. Cheese’s has made and continues to make are definitely appealing to me as a busy working mom. I can take my kids there, enjoy some good food, play a few games with the kids and sit back and relax while they play in a safe clean environment. What more can a parent ask for? And over the next few months, I’ll be sharing with you all of the great improvements that Chuck E. Cheese’s will be rolling out to make the experience more enjoyable for both parents and kids alike.
BMWK – When was the last time you’ve been to Chuck E. Cheese’s? Are you surprised to learn about all of the great changes they’ve made?
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Chuck E. Cheese’s. I’ve partnered with them to share with you all of the exciting changes the they are making and all opinions are my own.