You are in charge of Chuck E. Cheese- what do you change?

[PaulKTF]

Congratulations! You are now in charge of CEC Entertainment Inc.

What do you change, and why?

The only thing you're not "allowed" to do is bring in the Rock-Afire Explosion because in real life that would never happen. Otherwise; the ball's in your court. :)

[CEC3066]

1. authorize curtain use on all stage types (it's cheaper to occasionally pay $300 for Curtain motors then god knows how much every time a movement goes out due to a broken cylander or piston
2. order installation of curtains w/ tracks and motors on all Studio C's that do not currently have them
3. find a way to include a mention of the show in advertising
4. change the interior color of all remodeled stores i know CEC is geared towards kids but WHAT were they thinking when they chose Purple as the main color. i'd probably change it to the lime green they have at the Melbourne,FL store

[DerrickTheHedgehog]

1. authorize curtain use on all stage types (it's cheaper to occasionally pay $300 for Curtain motors then god knows how much every time a movement goes out due to a broken cylander or piston
2. order installation of curtains w/ tracks and motors on all Studio C's that do not currently have them
3. find a way to include a mention of the show in advertising
4. change the interior color of all remodeled stores i know CEC is geared towards kids but WHAT were they thinking when they chose Purple as the main color. i'd probably change it to the lime green they have at the Melbourne,FL store

1. All of those in the quote.
2. bring back the optional costumes for both stage and walk around Chuck E
3. Bring in more hard core acrade games for the teens
4. Rebuild the show room wall.
5. Bring back the show posters
6. Bring back the diming lights
7. Have the Studio C blue screens in all stores ( Even stores that still use the old stages)
8. New stores will have a new MMBB setup
9. Have tvs all over the store again.

[cec080]

bring back the brownies!!!!!!
reinstate curtains on all existing stages!
birthday parties $5 per child on weekdays!
$5 pizza with a purchase of $40 in tokens!
open 24hours!!! LOL!! ( I had to throw that one in)
Have wi fi for the parents!
bring back a small ball pit ( hey on the news they say its theraputic!!)

[cec080]

bring back the brownies!!!!!!
reinstate curtains on all existing stages!
birthday parties $5 per child on weekdays!
$5 pizza with a purchase of $40 in tokens!
open 24hours!!! LOL!! ( I had to throw that one in)
Have wi fi for the parents!
bring back a small ball pit ( hey on the news they say its theraputic!!)

I'd also add this to the menu! 1722

[pizzacam]

IDK, cause even though most of us agree we don't like it today, it's obviously working. HOWEVER... back when we did like how much of what's there today WASN'T there then... All they really did was change(ruin) the atmosphere. Make it too bright... and took the attention away from the show. Which if brought back I doubt families would STOP going. Honestly every time I take an old show and blast it it's like all of a sudden realize "Oh wow there's a show here still?" Especially when I blast something like "Turn The Beat Around"

So I know that wouldn't cause a walk out or cause a drop in attendance if that stuff came back. I mean the wall between the gameroom and showroom MADE the showroom a special thing just like the curtains did. Why oh why would it be taken out. Was it really costing them THAT much?

[captslappy]

Just keeping it realistic without going crazy, I'd bring back all 5 walk around characters and do more with those. It would be a nice treat to see different characters in the stores, especially for stores that only had a Studio C. Also, forget curtains. Back in the day the lights went down when the show came on. I'd use the dimmer and the characters would go to sleep when the lights came up. No "random movements" or anything. The show would also be at an audible volume and not just run non-stop.

[CEC Babies]

Just keeping it realistic without going crazy, I'd bring back all 5 walk around characters and do more with those. It would be a nice treat to see different characters in the stores, especially for stores that only had a Studio C. Also, forget curtains. Back in the day the lights went down when the show came on. I'd use the dimmer and the characters would go to sleep when the lights came up. No "random movements" or anything. The show would also be at an audible volume and not just run non-stop.

LOL captslappy yours was almost close to my idea!

Let's see if I was head of CEC Entertainment. (Thinking outside the box) The Major thing I would do is create and test a new stage experience at a particular store in Texas. There would be a 1 stage (with closing curtains) that would be slightly longer and instead of the animatronics...actually have all 5 walk around characters performing LIVE onstage, lights synchronized to music and all! Then during intermissions having one of the characters come out for an 8 minute meet and greet with the guests. Once again just a thought! CEC isn't the same without it's animatronic shows! :)

[captslappy]

That's a really cool idea actually. The only unfortunate thing that makes it impractical is having 5 people on hand continuously to portray the character. That would send labor through the roof on cost. It might work if the show was only done a handful of times a day though.

[CEC Babies]

Oh yeah like one show every 2 hours lol man that would stink! I say let's leave the daily entertainment for the bots and the live hourly entertainment for Chuck E. Live! ;)

[bzier]

Start by making the gameroom table free...all dining would take place in a large showroom area, thus more or less forcing guests to realize we have a show! Build that showroom wall back up to isolate the noise so you can actually hear the show again. Atmosphere is everything. I would do some additional remodelling...black ceiling tiles, cool new LED lighting, multi colored walls...not just white and purple (yuck). I would also move Chuck's stage to the CENTER of the wall, to put the focus back on him. If you've got an existing stage, great. Keep it as is, with maybe just some minor background touchups to modernize it. Oh, and Helen would match her walkaround counterpart. (why on earth is she still wearing that black and purple dress and has white/black pigtails??? Doesn't resemble her walkaround look at all!)

Gosh, if money wasn't an issue I'd change so many things.

[fuzzymoochicken]

Pasqually becomes the main character.

>_>

[nace888]

Okay... Lemme see... I would have to say... If possible, bring back the Helen walkarounds for those that do not have her... Curtains MUST BE reinstated, especially Chuck E.'s curtain in a live show. Update the show to Garner-Holt bots (because they look better, XD) and instead of Studio Cs, at least put two characters on there. I would prefer all five though... Kid Check needs something, just don't ask me what. I MIGHT keep the purple, but darken it, like on Chuck E.'s clothes. I would bring back Ref shirts for our gameroom as well. Maybe add in blue, some green as well... Use black to accent these colors, not white. I would also have to say... Even though CEC is getting kinda cheap, I would also say the company will SEND OUT shirts in 3 or four colors for uniforms. Buying your own things, does not make anything match at all... A color for each section if possible... Back to the show... If you want to keep a 3-Stage like I do, change the bots... The current 3-Stage bots are slightly creepy...

-Nace888

[Partyhog]

Heres mine...

Have Garner Holt make new versions for each character to make a more modern three stage. Also for variety, each location that didnt want a new three stage and has a Studio C HAS to have Chuck and one of the other characters so it's more lively. Curtains come back of course. Id make a few historic locations look like that are still in the 80's complete with a few REAL arcade games. Ceiling tiles would be multi colored, some lighted with color film. All 90's art would come back including parody posters. Hospital art: Destroy these items as they will not be used again. Any new art produced would have to have Chuck and 2 other characters along with however many kids you wanna throw in. I'd also make sure each real stage thats supposed to be gutted will NOT be and just completly redone.

[fuzzymoochicken]

Okay... Lemme see... I would have to say... If possible, bring back the Helen walkarounds for those that do not have her...
Oh yeah, this reminds me:

Pasqually walkarounds in EVERY store.

[PuroMax]

Take the show out of the showroom and replace it with a modernized portrait setup with monitors all around the restaurant. Replace random movements with (bend down, look left, look right, return) the "birthday studio" is where all parties and live shows would happen. The current fluorescent lights would be able to change to blacklight lighting and the show light rig would include laser kaleidoscopes. Cyberstar 2.0 would automatically change the lighting for birthday live and give a 5 minute countdown for Chuck "on the :30" Everyone loves parodies , but it's too topical and pop culture. I can't help but cringe when I walk into a store that has Chuckfeld and cWo wrestling all over the showroom walls.... it looks outdated now.

[chuckecheesefan98]

Hey, guess how outdated Flabby Road is! But I still love it! Reminds me of my younger days..... Now I'm making myself old. Jeez. But on a more serious side I used to love when every single store had the parody posters. (And curtains)

I'd bring back the showroom wall, change the color of the walls to what they have at West Melbourne. (I think it's green.) I would reinstate curtains on all stages, and install tracks for Studio C's that don't have them. I'd make CEC a fun place for all ages, even teens. I would redo kidcheck, the current design just isn't working. I don't know what I'd put in place of the rope, I'd have to think about it. I would also make the skytubes bigger, so that the energetic kids don't have to run around the place 10 times. I don't agree about putting all seating in the showroom, don't forget some older folks who can't stand up very long like to watch their grandchildren play games. Dimming lights would be put in all restaurants, and lights in the showroom would get even more dim when the show started. Maybe I would add a new item to the menu too. Up here, we don't have chicken tenders, just buffalo wings.

[CEC Babies]

Just got another...

BRING BACK THE LATEX MASKS FOR ALL EXISTING STAGES!!!!!! But make them a little updated, like Chuck's nose, make it a little more inwards to not make it look like a rat. The current masks in my opinion are kinda ugly, I can't tell if their smiling or not like I could with the latex masks. They just look like ventriloquist puppets.

For example, pizzacams Pasqually mask...absolutely perfect! He actually looks like an Italian pizza cook and not something I could have nightmares about as a child.

[nace888]

That's why I had said Garner-Holt bots for all of them, XD XD XD I'm thinking of doing some sketches of a generic CEC with some of the ideas on here (at least what I think would look cool)...

I have decided, I want all stores to have a 3-stage show if possible... I can't stand nothing less of 5 characters, although we could do with just 2 on a stage...

So... I think... here's what I think... I think just as a little 'game/idea churner', we should COMBINE our ideas, y'know, agree on certain things, and make an epic imaginary/hopeful store idea, XD

-Nace888

[fuzzymoochicken]

For example, pizzacams Pasqually mask...absolutely perfect! He actually looks like an Italian pizza cook and not something I could have nightmares about as a child.
I agree with this. The bots do look really creepy without the nice, detailed latex masks. @_@

[nightwalkerhorde]

revert everything back to phase 3 bring back the showroom walls the record posters repaint the walls white instead of purple scrap all the remaining avenger and cool chuck outfits and bring back the tux and the classic durby hat and also have a separate showroom for the rock a fire

[joe2981]

The swiss cheese fatory would be first on the list,dim lighting,the maze under the stage,...but mix it up with old ,mixed with new

[FamilyAlbum]

I'll bring back the King and bring back Coca cola. Then I'll bring back the Rocker stage. This includes getting rid of Studio C Beta.

[nace888]

I'll bring back the King and bring back Coca cola. Then I'll bring back the Rocker stage. This includes getting rid of Studio C Beta.

As long as there is no Studio C, I am a happy camper...

[Partyhog]

Found this on Google. Im assuming this is the picture that was at CV8, or did I find something new?
1861

[joe2981]

party hog is that the cheese factory, i clicked on it but i cant get it wont go to the larger image

[chuckecheesefan98]

party hog is that the cheese factory, i clicked on it but i cant get it wont go to the larger image

For the love of breadsticks, that IS NOT the Cheese Factory! When somebody decides to post a picture of the maze, then you'll see it.

[Partyhog]

For the love of breadsticks, that IS NOT the Cheese Factory! When somebody decides to post a picture of the maze, then you'll see it.

No, that is the Cheese Factory. The entire set-up was called Cheese E. Street. Look at the yellow and gold "ticket" sign. It says "Cheese Factory".

[chuckecheesefan98]

No, that is the Cheese Factory. The entire set-up was called Cheese E. Street. Look at the yellow and gold "ticket" sign. It says "Cheese Factory".

The cheese factory was a maze of several yellow tubes, right?

[Partyhog]

No. It was funhouse type attraction.

[joe2981]

Thanks partyhog,ive been looking for that pic for over a year now,do you know what store that one was at,i went to the one on chase in milwaukee

[MechaCory]

Simple:

1. Design a seriously wicked new stage, with all new mechs(by Garner Holtz possibly) and FINALLY add new characters. In fact, possibly debut new characters at test locations.

2. Bring back animatronic wall stuff. I'm thinking stuff animal heads mounted on walls that interact with eachother, or a new form of the clapper animals and flags.

3. ACTUAL merchandise of the characters. Figures, UFO catcher style plushes, etc

4. NEW arcade games, not the same tired ones theyve had for the last decade

5. Use flash to develop an animated series

But seriously, new characters. A panda, porcupine, alpaca...whatever. Maybe even a spunky new punkish female character.

----------


Heres mine...

Have Garner Holt make new versions for each character to make a more modern three stage. Also for variety, each location that didnt want a new three stage and has a Studio C HAS to have Chuck and one of the other characters so it's more lively. Curtains come back of course. Id make a few historic locations look like that are still in the 80's complete with a few REAL arcade games. Ceiling tiles would be multi colored, some lighted with color film. All 90's art would come back including parody posters. Hospital art: Destroy these items as they will not be used again. Any new art produced would have to have Chuck and 2 other characters along with however many kids you wanna throw in. I'd also make sure each real stage thats supposed to be gutted will NOT be and just completly redone.

Dude! Yes. Like some sort of test of an "older clientelle"(ie: college kids, dave and buster's crowd)
version of CEC. retro arcade games, bar, and the balcony stage.

Maybe call it something like "CEC Retro" or something, have it aimed for adults.

[Pizzagal]

I would introduce a "Phase 5" concept and here's what the "Phase 5" concept would have

. Unisex family restrooms
. The return of ball pits for bigger kids
. A bar area for adults 21+
. A new stage show featuring live costumed characters and no more animatronics
. New arcade games with touch screens and motion detection
. new motion simulator rides
. Ice cream birthday cakes
. A new female mouse character
. A "meet and greet" area with the costumed characters
. A new indoor play area with the Skytubes, a roller slide, bounce house, a punching bag maze, and of course ball pits (ala Discovery Zone)
. A laser tag arena
. A pizza buffet
. A dance room with the "live" stage

[Vega III CEC]

All five members of MMBB would have an animatronic counterpart (preferably made by Garner Holt) in an awesome new setup. Something akin to how Awesome Adventure machine was set up would keep kids entertained AND away from the robots enough to not deface them.
All five characters should get costumes in ALL stores, not just select franchised locales.
High-quality CEC-related merch like back in the 90s. Keep the minky fabric from today's stuff, but make amazing patterns for everyone and they'd sell like hotcakes.
Removal of all lame artwork, to be replaced be either new parody posters/assortment of character-related art or bring back the old posters and art.
Optional buffet for pizza and salad but also an option to order entire pizzas for yourself or other menu items.
Re-enable all curtains.
New paint for the walls. That blue-violet is atrociously bright. Either go back to white, or pick a better color and use it SPARINGLY.
Redesign the Chuck E. walk around costume; it can potentially be MUCH cuter and could have a better "figure" (aka could look tall and lanky sorta like the GH animatronic figures as opposed to tall and sorta outta shape).
Return to dimming lights for the showroom and reconstruct showroom divider walls. Play the show music loudly only when the show is on, or is about to start. Have an announcement beforehand to warn of dimming lights and show start to cover liabilities as well as draw attention to the show.
Unique games, less toddler garbage, more for all ages/ older kids and up. I realize toddlers are the target group but I don't like seeing half of a store dedicated to it.

[joe2981]

bring back the cheese factory maze...DUH!

[PaulKTF]

All five members of MMBB would have an animatronic counterpart (preferably made by Garner Holt) in an awesome new setup. Something akin to how Awesome Adventure machine was set up would keep kids entertained AND away from the robots enough to not deface them.
All five characters should get costumes in ALL stores, not just select franchised locales.
High-quality CEC-related merch like back in the 90s. Keep the minky fabric from today's stuff, but make amazing patterns for everyone and they'd sell like hotcakes.
Removal of all lame artwork, to be replaced be either new parody posters/assortment of character-related art or bring back the old posters and art.
Optional buffet for pizza and salad but also an option to order entire pizzas for yourself or other menu items.
Re-enable all curtains.
New paint for the walls. That blue-violet is atrociously bright. Either go back to white, or pick a better color and use it SPARINGLY.
Redesign the Chuck E. walk around costume; it can potentially be MUCH cuter and could have a better "figure" (aka could look tall and lanky sorta like the GH animatronic figures as opposed to tall and sorta outta shape).
Return to dimming lights for the showroom and reconstruct showroom divider walls. Play the show music loudly only when the show is on, or is about to start. Have an announcement beforehand to warn of dimming lights and show start to cover liabilities as well as draw attention to the show.
Unique games, less toddler garbage, more for all ages/ older kids and up. I realize toddlers are the target group but I don't like seeing half of a store dedicated to it.


You're hired! :) Those are all really great ideas.

[Vega III CEC]

You're hired! :) Those are all really great ideas.

Haha, thanks! A lot of my ideas are based upon my artistic perspective on life and such. Having all the characters with lights all over the stage drawing the eye TO them, having really awesome quality merch, painting, it all falls on that! It probably helps that I'm a Disney nut who really studies how they market to consumers, how they keep their bar raised, and how it rakes in the dough! I guess all of that has rubbed off on how I think.

[Beach Bear]

No more half-assed games like Bubble-Up, Dog Pounder, Shoot the Moon, and Monster Truck. All stores would be required to have at least 4 skill games, 2 traditional arcade games (Need for Speed, Guitar Hero, DDR, etc.), and 2 premium games (Extreme Cards, games like Loose Change, Terminator: Salvation, etc, etc. the expensive price tag and unique games). The rest could be a random assortment. I remembered at my CEC, we had a weak game lineup. It could take me 2 hours to burn 10 tokens sometimes as our games sucked that bad. Too many games like Free Fallin' and Deep Freeze.

[Bluestarultor]

Return of 3-stages, and make them the standard.
Mechs with silicone masks (I'm sure it would age better than latex).
Warblettes mini-stage with 3 independent mechs to allow them a chance at becoming independent characters, but also offering a backup setup again.
Helen suits get standardized to the mechs (Helen will never be blonde in my mind).
We're way past needing tapes. If guest shows seem like a good idea again, we have the tech from the 1-stages to allow Chuck and the guest to share a stage via rotating platforms, so the TV and guest can flip, as can Chuck with the blank platform as he would for live shows. Digital shows mean the show can be modified dynamically to play the guest's voice in the same songs as everyone else, and that guest segments can be integrated seamlessly. As a programmer myself, I can say this wouldn't be that hard.
Return of the showroom wall.
Return of the cabaret, which can be a good place to recycle "retired" guests.
Update The King to age him down closer to most of the rest of the cast (think more of the "cool older teen" figure) to help win over a younger audience and win back an older one. Bonus points in that this still leaves him cabaret material, since age is ambiguous between roughly 18 and 20, so he can also play for an adult crowd as a cabaret later. Double points in that you could easily dress him up like Elvis when he first started at 18 without it looking too odd.
Curtains for everything, or fences, or both, but kids need to know to keep off the stage. It would also be personally cathartic to program the shows for maximum potential to thwap kids who venture up without looking unnatural, which would make for very animated characters as well, but you know that'll quickly become a lawsuit, even if you have curtains, fences, and big neon signs, unless you make them sign waivers at the door. Even if they only need to register once, nobody reads that stuff, although I do like the idea of having a computer at the kid check with names and photos for the sake of security, and hey, sit on Chuck's lap just like Santa, since you know families would probably pay for just that on its own, email them copies, etc. Hmmm...
Other characters who would age down well without having to sacrifice too much of their personalities: Foxy Colleen, Sally Sashay, Harmony Howlette, Crusty (for the sake of this idea inheriting the surname Del Gato from my own characters), Artie Antlers.

[Vega III CEC]

I like your ideas, Blue, but the more AAs there are the less likely they'll be running at peak performance if things stayed how they are today in terms of budget. In this regard if I were to change the system, I'd add more to that budget. The show has a vast potential to attract guests; just look at Disney and how people clamor for a chance to see AA shows! Universal I suspect to a smaller extent draws the same crowd (but IMO their AAs suck and make the RAE look as if it's cutting edge today; no offense to the RAE setup mind you). I certainly agree with you on bringing in an "all ages" aspect to the show. Heck, you can bring back not only some old-time characters, but some hints of old-time personality traits. Spice up the shows with a bit more wit at least and you'll get somewhere. I'm glad we've got Jasper doing this currently but there's always room for more! Oh, if I could but change all this tomorrow I would.

[Bluestarultor]

We're working in an ideal world. Of course the economy sucks, but a "money is no object" assumption holds true for most of the ideas in this thread, I'd suspect. ;)

[Vega III CEC]

I know, but I sometimes like to take a realistic look at things as well. ;)

[PaulKTF]

I know, but I sometimes like to take a realistic look at things as well. ;)

Well what kind of fun is that? :)

[Vega III CEC]

Well what kind of fun is that? :)
Well, if you look at it realistically (i.e. what can be done versus what's wishful thinking entirely) you can come up with different things. It's like placing rules upon a game and figuring out how to play within those rules I suppose? Granted my ideas aren't, at least by Corporate's standards, realistic but certainly could be done with the right persons at the helm.

[Em&M]

K, I know I'm late on this, but if I were to change anything, the games would be separated from the showroom and tables. By a wall. With a door. That way, there isn't as much screaming! Also, there'd be more stuff with Chuck and the gang on it at the ticket counter.

[Bluestarultor]

Well, if you look at it realistically (i.e. what can be done versus what's wishful thinking entirely) you can come up with different things. It's like placing rules upon a game and figuring out how to play within those rules I suppose? Granted my ideas aren't, at least by Corporate's standards, realistic but certainly could be done with the right persons at the helm.

You want to see me being unrealistic, you should look in Projects for my own personal show ideas (there's a rough bunch of sketches buried in Off Topic as well). To be brief, imagine a 4-stage setup where 3 of the stages are 4-slot rotating wing stages with the far left stage shared with the cabaret in another room and the main stage equipped with rotating platforms and trap doors to allow the characters to vacate. And that's just the stages. ;)

[PaulKTF]

You want to see me being unrealistic, you should look in Projects for my own personal show ideas (there's a rough bunch of sketches buried in Off Topic as well). To be brief, imagine a 4-stage setup where 3 of the stages are 4-slot rotating wing stages with the far left stage shared with the cabaret in another room and the main stage equipped with rotating platforms and trap doors to allow the characters to vacate. And that's just the stages. ;)

That'd be great! Oh sure, the cost would be something like $1 million per stage, but the show would really be something! :)

[Bluestarultor]

That'd be great! Oh sure, the cost would be something like $1 million per stage, but the show would really be something! :)

"A technical nightmare" comes to mind. XD

The point still stands that we have the technology for my proposal list here and, really, a lot of cost could be saved on the guest mechs through retrofits/redecos, especially with the females, since there's really no reason for them not to use a Helen base. Reusing the guests for cabaret shows saves even more money on something that otherwise would require getting a specialty item. After that, just switch them around when one setup gets stale, maybe keep an extra or two in the back to switch things up, and software handles the rest.

[joe2981]

put the maze back under the stage :)

[Central]

Add 5 character studio C.
Wack--A--Munch
Ice Cream buffet
all 5 characters in costume form
Showroom/gameroom walls
Beer not allowed or sold.
Collectable Plushes of all 5 characters
Chuck now wears tuxedo. Cool kid outfit goes
Bring back Chuck E Cheese Pizza/Pizza time theatre name
Rat Chuck E
Studio C trashed.

[diamondsplus]

Mine would be Bring back the Balcony Stage show, I remember that from my Childhood at the 2 CEC's we had in Montgomery Ala. Curtains are a must specially for the Studio C stages. Build a Wall seperating the Games from the Show, Just like Showbiz did for their places. it would force people to come in and listen to the show. having it all open air is a bit annoying since it takes away from the show. When the show is on I want to hear the show, not the Beeps and sounds from the games. Course my Boys like to sit around the games area.

[BadIdeaSociety]

If money wasn't an object....

I would look into investing in a stage show that operates more like the "Animation Celebration" show at "Universal Studios Japan" (See here http://brcweb.com/brc/projects/animation_celebration) where there would physical stage sets with giant transparent screens that would make the digital characters look more like they were interacting with the sets and would make completely altering the show with new bands or different kinds of programming easier (if the company wanted to enter into partnerships with major companies.) The cost of production may be prohibitive, but the nice thing about this set up is that each location could retract the projection screens and let local kids do their own performances for parties and whatnot. Also, you could have a member of the staff interacting with the band in a convincing manner or allow the staff to control actions of the character with a puppet glove (similar to the Turtle Talk with Crash at Disney World see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFIpEL5ch4).

I'm redesign Chuck completely. I was never a fan of the old Rat design but prefer it to the current late-80s skateboarding, sneering design CEC currently uses. I would either look to make a design more like a classic Warner Bros era character (especially like Tweety with the baby-shaped head or Speedy) for more comedic purposes or a more contemporary Japanese design (like Hello Kitty or Rillakuma) to make the character more "cute".

I'm incorporating more of a sports bar theme to the restaurant and I would even try to stretch the hours of operation and do some after 10pm shows that are more adult. For example, I would have the stage screens run midnight movies and have the licensed characters do RiffTrax throughout the presentations.

[katydid]

If money wasn't an object....

I would look into investing in a stage show that operates more like the "Animation Celebration" show at "Universal Studios Japan" (See here http://brcweb.com/brc/projects/animation_celebration) where there would physical stage sets with giant transparent screens that would make the digital characters look more like they were interacting with the sets and would make completely altering the show with new bands or different kinds of programming easier (if the company wanted to enter into partnerships with major companies.) The cost of production may be prohibitive, but the nice thing about this set up is that each location could retract the projection screens and let local kids do their own performances for parties and whatnot. Also, you could have a member of the staff interacting with the band in a convincing manner or allow the staff to control actions of the character with a puppet glove (similar to the Turtle Talk with Crash at Disney World see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPFIpEL5ch4).

I'm redesign Chuck completely. I was never a fan of the old Rat design but prefer it to the current late-80s skateboarding, sneering design CEC currently uses. I would either look to make a design more like a classic Warner Bros era character (especially like Tweety with the baby-shaped head or Speedy) for more comedic purposes or a more contemporary Japanese design (like Hello Kitty or Rillakuma) to make the character more "cute".

I'm incorporating more of a sports bar theme to the restaurant and I would even try to stretch the hours of operation and do some after 10pm shows that are more adult. For example, I would have the stage screens run midnight movies and have the licensed characters do RiffTrax throughout the presentations.

Love the RiffTrax idea! That would be awesome. Especially if they did something like the Twighlight movies.

[ChuckEntertainment]

Bring back the waving flags.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

-

After reading all the responses here, i see a trend.
Most folks seem to be making lists of things they want to see return from the past, and not nessesarily wanting something NEW. Oh sure there are some great, really original ideas suggested, but it seems the bulk of the suggestions is more in line with stuff missed from bygone eras.

Now everyone here probably knows that i am one for nostalgia, exspecially when it comes to old school CEC. I dig it, but if i was suddenly put in charge of Corporate today, in 2012, and had a major say in what the company was going to do in its Stores from this point on, i do not think i would immediately recommend copying what has already been done eons ago. This statement will probably come as a shock to those who know me, as i am sure they would assume i would be all gung-ho to just tell them all to redesign the place to what it used to be. Nope, sorry folks...it wont work in todays world, and with todays uptight, highly demanding and over-protective (borderline over-obsessed with protection..) parents! Oh sure, there as definately aspects of the past that CAN and SHOULD be brought back...but i for one do not see the peeps lining up at the door just to see a giant 8 ft guitar playing Lion in a side attraction room. Not in todays times...as much as i would like it to be otherwise.

So here are my suggestions...if i would suddenly to receive a phone call from Dick Frank saying he was retiring and he needed a fill-in.

I would say my first priority would be to up the food quality. This is important to me right now, as i am quite frankly disgusted with what is being passed off as CEC Pizza these days. The new *pizza recipe* sucks...there i said it. It is nothing but the result of a shameless cutback to reduce costs and increase the bottom line. The product is a paltry offering, and i have a hard time understanding why there has not been a huge backlash of complaints about this change. The chipping away needs to stop. So my #1 request on Day 1 would be to introduce a new pie in a larger size ( since the currant *large* is really just a small scale size *medium* to begin with!). Call it * Chuck E.s Super Cheesy Pizza* ..or something along those lines. Guests may have to pay a dollar of more, but at least they will be getting a GREAT pie. I would ask my financial advisors and the folks who handle contacts with the currant CEC Food Suppliers to give me some facts regarding food costs/bottom line statistics to help choose new suppliers for some key ingredients not just for the pizza, but other items. I am not talking about a huge, total makeover in the food department...but the pizza really needs to change ! Other items, such as the fries, can be adjusted later.

Okay, so now we have a better quality of food to start with. This is good...as the adults will now be happier and more enthusiastic about bringing the kids to CEC. Right now it seems they just sort of *tolerate* it...because today in 2012, there is really not a lot there to entertain them. I know CEC is not supposed to be for the adults, ....but here is where we enter a area from the past that really can be looked at.

Part of the past success of CEC ( namely PTT) was that the concept at that time appealled to EVERYONE - kids and adults alike. Walt Disney himself was very aware of the importance of appealling and entertaining ALL members of the family, not just the kiddies. CEC seems to have forgotten this very important aspects of running a entertainment concept...but then again, they HAVE NOT been running it like a entertainment concept for many years now! Seriously....they run their concept as a place to have your kids Birthday, and not as a place to go and BE entertained. Something i would look at would be how to introduce new ways into the currant concept that would do a better job at entertaining EVERYONE. You have to have a draw, a attraction, to create excitement in potential Guests and bring them into your resturant/arcade/entertainment complex. PTT knew this all too well. The Animatronics were the novelty that set it apart from other pizza joints or fledgling aracades down the road. You went to PTT for the chance to see the robots, AND to play the then-hot aracade games.

Today of course, times have changed. Robots and arcade games are not enough in todays tech-heavy, electronic device screen watching society of contemporary parents and tech-swavvy 5 years olds. So after looking into improving the food quality, i would next focus on keeping those diners entertained and staying in my Stores for a long period of time.

Putting the *E* back into * Chuck E. Cheese ....as in ENTERTAINMENT ....would be my next big focus.

Naturally i would want to have the Animatronics be a major focus, but i also realize that even the coolest robots in the world are not enough these days. I would also want to look into doing a affordable, but no less decent light show for my Showrooms. This is where a lot of money would need to be funneled, as the development of a new Stage concept and lighting rigs would not be cheap. Installing them in 500+ Stores would not be a smart financial move either, but i would insist on at least trying it out in a few key test locations first. Then gradulally, spread it over the country in Stores that *deserve* it...as in, larger sales locations or locations that have been scouted and can fit the concept Stage. No shoving Animatronics in corners...in the background where the tv is getting more attention then the robots.

Alright...so we put the *E* back in CEC....and get a nice Showroom setup with lots of eye candy. Creative stuff. Not just painted walls and digital art enlarged far too large. Make it fun...and make it themed to Chuck.

Entertainment can be carried over into others areas of the Store, not just the Showroom. Little diversions, such as moving objects or plants, even a cool light effect, can be executed in the Game Room or even in the Merch/Cash area. More is less, so no need to break the bank but the key is to get FUN with it and get creative. Catch people off guard. Delight them with little surprises. Kids notice this stuff more then you know....usually more often then the parents.

Another lesson we can learn from the past is the importance of ATMOSPHERE. CEC of today has changed their concepts appearence drastically when compared to the past, but it was a real nessesity. Parents of today want to be able to keep their kids in their sightlines, and the dark rooms and moody lighting of yesteryear would scare most of them off. I can understand that, but that does not mean you have to make the inside of your Stores look like the local Wal-Mart with supermarket lighting! Hell no! There is some wonderful suttle ways of adding some cool ambience to the walls with just colored lighting. LCD lighting is gorgeous, and rope lighting enables you to get really creative. Both of these are rather inexpensive and have long life. Introducing some new lighting and wall themes/paint schemes can go a long way to acheiving a cool atmosphere.

So...we now have better food and some kick ass Animatronic entertainment, as well as small side diversions and a retheming of the main Guest areas. Next would be to invest in some new game packages.

Many CECs still have games left over from the old late 80s game packages believe it or not. Several more have games left over from the early 90s wave, and naturally the late 90s packages. Nothing wrong with that, but getting some newer games to some locations that need them would be a plus. I know many locations often switch game packages around after a couple of years, but i am talking about a overhaul on it Store wide. Review the game lists in certain areas and swap out some relics for some fresh games. Also, CEC has yet to really push forward with the trend in arcades now to bring back retro aracade games. Several modern gaming compaines produce new cabinets containing old classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Galaga, Space Invaders, and Asteriods. Adults lap this stuff up..and they are instant money in the bank in any game room. This is a fact. No need to put a lot of them in, just a couple per Store. Of course the kids only want to play games that give tickets, but adults enjoy playing games too and most ticket games are over in 20 seconds. Not appealing for your average adult...so i would introduce some retro games to keep the mix balanced.

I would also want to have a new marketing campaign to promote the focus on the new entertainment. Let the characters, and the now amazing show concepts wow people and bring them in. Play it up by doing a online tie-in, such as a virtual CEC. These have been very successful marketing tools and in most cases quite fun to play on that several companines, inclusing McDonalds, Build-a-Bear Workshop, and Webkins have set up to keep their customers engaged online in a virtual world. Why has CEC not bothered to pursure this? More then likely because their currant target audience ( toddlers, and children below age 7) are not yet engaged on the internet. If CEC was the entertainment powerhouse it once was, and engaged with ALL AGES adults included, this would not be a issue. You could easily have such a *pretend world* type of interactive website and carry on the fun at home.


So in a nutshell, the priorities of my new regiment would be:

- Improve food quality, exspecially the pizza reciepe
- Shift focus on Entertainment as whole, Animatronic Stage characters in spotlight with redeveloped multi-media presentation.
- Re-theme entire inside of Store, using lighting and theatrical elements to create much needed ambience.
- New focus in marketing on the Entertainment aspects of the concept, including digital options
- Introduce a greater presence of arcade games for adults, new *retro* game cabinents, etc

[PaulKTF]

Jenn,

All great ideas. One thing I wish they'd do is include animated versions of the other character sin the ads (and maybe give them speaking roles and let them interact with Chuck). Every CEC ad I've seen for the past decade has been the same and they're getting really stale.

[Vega III CEC]

Jenn, WONDERFUL ideas! Brilliant ideas! I LOVE THEM and I wish I'd have thought of them. Those subtle touches are what should be implemented if nothing else. Maybe copy Disney and have a "Hidden Chuck E" sorta scavenger hunt around stores that grants you a set amount of tickets or a lollipop or stickers or something upon completion. I love the lighting idea a bunch! This would ultimately save on painting costs as well. Tired of green walls? Change 'em to a nice deep red. Near closing time? Change the filter to blue to signal shutdown! Something else I thought was rad that Disney's doing currently is secret animated portraits of characters and movie scenes. They're small screens hidden quite well within picture frames that come to life, and it's so simple but so nifty to catch in action! Shoot, just have all five characters in some scattered frames that occasionally wave or somethin'. It'd be great.

[andy91]

Ok, many of you remember my " Rockafire bounce " concept. If not, picture this in the smaller yet still hub towns, so the towns that have the Walmart that all the smaller towns go to. I'm talking about an hours. Or more in any direction from a major city. Ok so a food quality upgrade is needed before we even enter the rest of my concept store. " chuck e cheese ' s bounce house, if you will, would be much more affordable than the big city version, why? Because we have no games. Only inflatables. They are cheaper, easier to maintain, and offer many options for parties. They would also enable you to change out thw play area weekly. The show would go back to feeling like a kiddie concert, and would have it's own seperate room, that room would be darker,but the show would definitely have lighting to engage the diners as they eat. We would also leave an area near the stage free of tables for the kids to dance. So the pitch is .... your out shopping with the kids, your already going to eat out, why not get food fun and entertainment for one price? Instead of a redemption area id setup a small cheaply priced souvenir stand with small toys ballons and cotton candy. For birthday packages, you'd be able to offer a ton of options,

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... options, at the store with the show food a reserved inflatable, without a reserved inflatable, at home with food catered, with inflatable, without inflatable, with Walkabout, without Walkabout. Mix those up soo many ways almost endless options for any budget.

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I'd also like to use solar panels or wind power, so eventually the cost of electric would be nothing.