cec ...considering not going anymore

[YoungCaliHottie]

the stages are crap. especially studio c. the service is awful! most employees don't really care. you can actually hear them talking sometimes about how they cant wait to find another job. and im getting the impression that corporate doesnt really care either. so with a company that doesnt care about its customers, why should its customers care about them?

im considering taking my (AT LEAST) $3000/yr elsewhere! (probably more $ than that, but it is possible i miss a day here and there. although there are also many days that i go more than once. its probably more like $5500/yr)

[pizzacam]

so with a company that doesnt care about its customers, why should its customers care about them?

Yes! So let's all go in to one and take what we want! :hat

[YoungCaliHottie]

bring a uhaul and screwdrivers, cuz i want the stage! lol

...unless its a studio c. then they can keep it. :lol


lol!!! i can just picture all of us going to a studio c cec and taking everything. then an employee getting there in the morning... everything is gone... all the pictures, the games, the merch, the food, ...but chuck is in the corner singing away. lol :rollin

[captslappy]

I quit going awhile ago. It's not the same place as Showbiz or PTT once was...

[CEC3066]

AMEN!

[Aaron]

lol!!! i can just picture all of us going to a studio c cec and taking everything. then an employee getting there in the morning... everything is gone... all the pictures, the games, the merch, the food, ...but chuck is in the corner singing away. lol

Don't worry. I'm sure the CM's won't notice anything missing.
I've seen CMs walk past a kid crying and bleeding-- no suprise.

Chuck E. Cheese of NJ

[pizzacam]

Don't worry. I'm sure the CM's won't notice anything missing. I've seen CMs walk past a kid crying and bleeding-- no suprise.


:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

Man, they wouldn't notice a robber stealing stuff while they were open if he shot 'em in the face! :rolleyes

[captslappy]

I think I mentioned this in a conversation I was having with Danny E. one night. I dont know if the rumors of an 8 movement Studio C are true, but you know what I'd do regardless at this point? Most of the shows are not in that great of shape so I would just go ahead and convert the 3 stages and 2 stages to just a CEC character only show. All of them have monitors. I'd remove the side stages, put CEC front and center on the center stage and remove the other characters. That way everything is much more uniform and easier to maintain. Also the company wouldn't have to spend a lot of money on buying more Studio C shows. The cyberamic robots are all more or less the same with a few slight variations. Helen IS the same robot in both the 2 and 3 stage MMBBs anyway. I'd hold the Helen robots all for parts and sell off or scrape the Pasqually, jasper and Munch robots in the case of the 3 stages and I'd hold them for parts in the case of the cyberamic robots.

[JyPsy]

The simplest reason quality is almost universally terrible at this point, is because there is no competition.

Arcades are being phased out since home gaming is cheaper, and the biggest games are the more innovative and expensive types.(DDR, the samurai game, Import games)
There is no competition, and hasnt been since SPP went bye-bye.
Since then we have seen a steady decline in quality and in interest.

these days working at CEC is "just a job" and really nothing special or unique. I really am not sure if it ever was something special, but I know I worked especially hard to work there over this summer and they never passed on my info as they said they did.

Moving along....

I think the only way that CEC could be the experience that kids will remember for the rest of their lives like it was, is if a group of devoted employees worked hard at keeping a store in top shape, and excellent quality in everything.

another issue is the management only hiring friends or else hiring people who are not capable of doing a satisfactory job.

if there was competition again, there would be an increase in everything related to CeC....

until then, I rarely go.

[captslappy]

yeah as the shows go to studio C and games become better at home I see CEC's success gradually changing. Right now they are hot and have done very well financially for the past 10 or 15 years but I wouldn't be surprised if the tide turns in the next few years and they go belly up eventually when the public loses interests. I see a lot of bad decisions being made in the direction and I think they are gradually killing off the aspects that make them unique. When that happens people are going to stop coming.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

This is already happening. Why do you think the Company has been experimenting with these "giveaway" promotions lately?

I touched upon the "no competition--no quality" angle a while back in another post...but i'm glad Jpysy has brought it up here. It's true: the fact that CEC is a monopoly and has no competition has lead the place to the sorry state it's in now. Oh sure it looks rosey from a investors standpoint and from a finacial standpoint...but it's a house of cards. Seriously...it is. I know the fall is coming...it has to. I am already seeing evidence and its starting to trickle into everything. This past year alone has revealed some of those trickles ( i.e--curtains, price hikes, promotional twists, etc.).

Also, as i mentioned in another thread, CEC is really up a creek these days as their target audience is now so incredibly narrow that they lose there main demographic within only 2 to 3 years. Once the toddlers grow up, CEC has no appeal anymore. Ask any kid over 6 and they will tell you. CEC used to appeal to everyone, adults included! There was a reason for this: target a wider age group and reap the benefits of more sales! Why did this change? Why does CEC feel that only toddlers and there soccer mom's are worth attracting? Seems like such a slim margin to appeal to...and in 3 years you lose them.

It's sad really. But it's all about making it appear succesful to the shareholders. What no one seems to see is the shakey house of cards this whole operation seems to have become. It's a darn shame really. Now if CEC had someone come along ans open a competing resturant ( say...Looney Birds?) then i guarentee we would see some serious changes and vast improvements. Its like the old saying goes: Competition makes for better business. It keeps you on your toes, and forces you to push the envelope to come up with something more exciting and attractive then the place down the road. A excellent example of this is the Disney Parks vs. Universal Studios in FL. Both are at the top of their game because they are so heavily involved in the fierce competition they are engrossed in.

We need a NEW SHOWBIZ!

[captslappy]

All very good points but there is also a paradox here. While CEC is setting itself up for a huge fall in the end they have snuffed out all competition. Looneybirds never took off and all of them are OOB now because they just can't compete. CEC is everywhere and the brand name is just too strong. I believe they have ultimately doomed themselves by eliminating the competition as you have said. The shows have gone to hell mostly and Studio C is just boring. They keep cutting corners and becoming more generic. The target is too narrow... the list goes on and on. I think this is indeed the beginning of the end. Oh well the good news is a lot more of those shows may come into our hands in the near future!

[JyPsy]

precisely.

one of the other big things now is that CeC is not longer seen as a "lets have a family night" its seen as "lets go for a birthday only"

Parents do not enjoy going normally, and kids over 10 mostly see it as "baby stuff"

CEC needs to find a way to hold their customers past puberty.

SPP did by keeping the show and showroom fresh for all ages, and not dumbing their content down.

granted this was 20 years ago nearly, so things have changed quite a bit since those days.

[PuroMax]

I've heard that Chuck E. Cheese is the second most recognizable cartoon character in the USA. He has a house in every neighborhood. This concept CAN NOT LOSE! I see the problem not so much in the presentation of the product, but that, with the exponential growth of the company, the operations management is being brought in from other endeavors instead of home grown. You've got more and more people coming in with 10 years of field experience, but they just don't "Get it" at Chuck E. Cheese. The home office can't make magic, it's not their job. It's up to every store by itself to keep the guests coming back and use the tools they have to create something extraordinary. And if the people "running the business" aren't willing to do that, then it just can't be done.

[YoungCaliHottie]

most people i talk to would like to go to cec, but they feel its for little kids. one of my friends almost refused to go with me last week because he said he was embarrassed to go without a kid. so their focus does seem too narrow.

as far as consoles taking spotlight over arcades, this doesn't really affect cec. cec isnt an arcade. i cant remember the last time ive seen a "video game" at cec. all the ones ive been to only have "games of skill". which are more profitable. and "video games" dont give tickets. kids want their 3 cents back from their quarters. lol.

anyways... im still going for now. because 419 (rancho cucamonga) still treats me right. but i refuse to go to norwalk anymore. the service there is just too aweful. the other day i went to the torrances. they were both great. so maybe ill go to those some more

i have noticed something interesting. the best service around here comes from cec's where the managers were hired into showbiz locations while they were still showbiz...

[captslappy]

I'm not embarrassed but show aside there is nothing to offer me anymore as an adult. The Irving store near Chuck E. Cheese headquarters is as close as it gets to the old Pizza Time feel because of their one stage show. That is the only reason I go is to watch that show. I dont care about Studio C and we have no 3 stages left around here.

[sungun12]

actually, i heard CHUCK E was THE most recognizable character, even over Mickey Mouse. I mean think about it, how many kids even get to go to Disney vs. how many get to go to cec. a ton of families cant afford a $4000 vacation but they can at least shell out $40 once to go to cec. or at least the kid gets invited to at least one bday party. if not, well than that kids a big freakin loser!!

the story my gram likes to tell is when i had my bday at cec, i think i was like 4 or 5. i was supposed to have like 10 or so guests, but i invited my whole class of like 30. i got a lot of presents and she had a HUGE bill, haha.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

That old statement from the Company about Chuck being more recognizable the Mickey is twisted propaganda. It's bull. That's what they would like to think...but it's a crock! Mickey Mouse may not have the exposure on television that he once did, this is what that particular survey was about. The young kids knew Chuck better simply because of the glut of CEC advertisments that bombard them when they watch kids' programming at home!

Chuck E. will NEVER reach the status of Disney's creation. Never...no matter how much Corporate would like us to beleive it.


And to PuroMax....excellent points my friend. You really hit the nail on the head there. It really is all about what the Cast does themselves at their own locations. They have the ultimate power to make a difference and boy do i know that! The problem is that when you DO go out on a limb and make some magic in a positive way, you tend to get shot down by Dm's/RM's/ and the acursed "Standards" they will pull out of their hat. I know Standards are important, but too many times i have seen it used as a "excuse" to kill any type of enthusiasim.

[captslappy]

Disney has been around since the 40s. Mickey's ears are one of their most visible trademarks. Mickey Mouse cartoons are not as prevalent as they once were but I can't believe even the youngest kid knows CEC better over Mickey. When it came down to Billy Bob Vs. Chuck E. yeah I guarantee you today's kids have no clue who Billy Bob is. That isn't even a contest. Back in the day it was a lot closer but CEC was still the better known. The real reason that Chuck got picked over Billy Bob and the RAE comes down to the company wanting to sever relations with Creative Engineering and they didn't own the rights to the RAE where as they owned everything that was once a part of Pizzatime Theatre. And that is why we have CEC today over Showbiz Pizza.

[sungun12]

im tellin you man, CEC over mickey and this is the reason....

I watch cartoons with my brothers - theyre 4 - and i DO NOT see mickey mouse. ever. they usually have on nick or cartoon network. but i do see cec commercials. theyre always on. and of course theyre at cec ALL THE TIME, like literally, all the time and every time they see that commercial they want to go right then. of course im thinkin, 'are you kidding me?? Its my day off!!!'

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Right on Captain....

Billy Bob never has a chance, even though Showbiz claims that they DID succeed and win the war against PTT. In reality it was the Arcade Crash that killed them...and Nolan's mistakes in investments elsewhere in his other projects. Showbiz's only choice was to buy PTT Inc. to get them out of their debt they owned them since the court battle in the 80's. It was the only way they could settle. Later on when relations soured between CEI and the businessmen in TX, Showbiz decided to switch over to using the more recognizable characters, and those were the CEC characters. It was purely a business move....and sadly spelled the end for the RAE's reign.

I suppose in a way, it proves the staying power of the original....CEC was always #1. The characters "won" in the end and i suppose that's good in some small way or we would'nt all be here right now and have stores to go to! Sure it is a bland, pale representation of what was in the past...but at least it's something. :)

[YoungCaliHottie]

im not sure what to believe.

on one hand i can see it. 400+ cec's an 1 disneyland and 1 disneyworld. $4000 for disney. $40 for cec. my friend's baby sister can hardly talk. she can say like 3 phrases. "where's mommy?" "i want that" and "lets go chuck e cheese" lol. i dont hear her saying anything about mickey mouse.

then again we have to keep in mind that disney has more than mickey to promote. this falling of recognization could be because disney is giving focus to other properties right now. the princesses are big right now. theyre probably even bigger than mickey currently. although the baby girl can't say their names, she knows who the princesses are. even cec carries a lot of disney princess merch.


but on the other hand, it could very well be twisted propaganda. you can always twist numbers to make them look how you want them to. look at enron. lol.

i can easily ask nine of my friends "who have you seen more in your life, robbie or bush" then ask one stranger the same question. likely results will be "our recent 'market research study' (fancy name for "survey") revealed that robbie is more popular than the president". :lol or "9 out of 10 respondents recognized robbie over bush". it might sound far fetched to be this sneaky, but lets just say i worked for a "marketing research" company for a little over two years. and there are definately tricks.

im sure cec wouldn't reveal the details of this "study". but the question could have been "who have you seen more commercials for, chuck e cheese or mickey"? they might not even have said "mouse" or "disney", which could change the outcome of the survey. also note that the order in which you ask the names has an affect on what the respondant will answer. a true, no tricks survey will not even ask a name. it would be open ended, and ask the respondent "when speaking of cartoon characters or company mascots, which name comes to mind first?" and then you ask "which others can you think of?"



wow. its amazing how far off topic we always get. i just looked at the subject of this thread and realized that. :rollin

[YoungCaliHottie]

--

[captslappy]

Yes but in the end years from now and when you add up the world as a whole who is bigger? Sure, with the teletubbies, Wiggles, etc and all the CEC commercials how many of todays tots know Mickey? But that is one tiny sect of the population. You wanna talk 4 year olds I concede. You wanna talk the world as a whole tho? Mickey kills CEC. Right now we are just talking about the physical characters of Chuck and Mickey. You wanna talk brand names (The Store CEC vs the entire Disney brand name) and Chuck E. Cheese isn't even in the same league. He's not even the same sport...

[sungun12]

yea but my point is, if cec is more recognizable for ages 3-8 then thats whats important. if kids that age dont know who chuck e is, i dont have a job anymore.

[CEC3066]

and THAT my freind would be sad!

[YoungCaliHottie]

now THATS Entertainment

sorry... i just had to say it
lol