Have you ever been to Chuck E. Cheese?

LOL Sorry, I just had to chuckle at, “I don’t think I want to go”! I’ve never been, but have the feeling it’s pretty wild…and noisy.

Noisy, pizza that tastes like crushed tomatoes on cardboard, kids love it

I saw a few creepy YouTube vids and I don’t think I want to go. Is it still a thing?

I’ve been there a few times. It is noisy and unavoidably bacteria rich because, you know, children. There is goofy entertainment and pizza similar to the cheap stuff in the freezer section. None of that makes me want to go to Chucky Cheese, but I go for kids’ birthday parties for them and to see the children having what they will remember as a great time. I will remember that all horrible, but voluntary, events do eventually end.

It’s not about you. It’s about your niece. She wants Chucky Cheese. Suck it up and go.

I went a long time ago and it was wild and noisy.
The food was… pizza . and it was good. I even got takeout pizza from there during Covid.
If possible, you should be sociable and go. Once you get there you will notice other oldsters in the exact same position as you – all of them will be more than willing to strike up a conversation. That was fun.

I’ve been there a few times when my daughter was little, which was about ten years ago. I always hated it because I felt like everything there was dirty and greasy from the greasy foods and the kids whose hands are covered in grease from the pizza. They wipe these things down with greasy rags, and the carpeted floor has probably absorbed gallons of soda over the years of spills. To me, it was totally gross. It is noisy like an arcade, with lights and moving ride things. Kids love it, as others have said. I really don’t remember if the food (pizza) was gross or edible but it was probably some frozen stuff, not “real” but not awful.

Like @Dutchess_III says, your niece wants you to go so you suck it up and go. Just go for an hour, put a smile on your face, and she will be so happy. She will have her friends there too, and she’ll be thrilled. II you’re lucky there will be a good cake. This is the sacrifice we make as adults, for the kids in the family and kids that we’re friends with.

That Showbiz Pizza ripoff? no.

Yes, it’s an experience you should have at least once! Eat decent food before you go though, and bring anti-bacterial wipes. :)

It’s not for you, it’s for kids you care about.
It’s full of screaming kids, noisy games and crummy animatronics. The kids will have a blast and not forget it so you need to go.

Do wear a mask and sanitize, sanitize, sanitize anytime you touch anything there. It’s a petri dish.

You guys are crazy with this bacteria stuff. Why would you even let your child in the door if you really believe it’s that bad? Just follow your normal protocol of washing your hands before you eat, and you’ll be fine.

@Dutchess_III Have you been to one? This is cold and flu ground zero.

Yes. I was especially taken with the robotic singing characters.

Yes I have @Blackwater_Park. In the 80s. It always has been cold and flu ground zero. We just weren’t so paranoid back then. If our kid got sick we tended to them, end of story.

I liked those too @kritiper.

I walked inside one once, about oh, 25 years ago, maybe. I did not stay, nor eat anything. A dark, noisy, place for young kids. I was curious what it was actually like. It wasn’t as bad, nor as interesting, as I imagined it might be.

Kids get exposed to germs. If my niece really wanted to go, and her parents didn’t object, I’d be happy to take her there, but I might scout it out first, and/or look for alternatives in case she gets there and changes her mind.

Did you drop down sick from virus you got got there @Zaku?

I’ve been a few times many years ago.

I’d wear my mask. Lol.

You don’t have to eat, you can just go and sit at a table with the adults. I don’t remember the food very well, I think it was ok.

Here’s some clarification of the situation:

My niece is 41.
We were talking about the prospect of taking her daughter to Chunky Cheese.
She seemed to think that was a viable option.
I’m not sure if either of her daughters actually want to go there.

Maybe your grandniece requested it.

You could always make just an “appearance” you don’t have to be there the whole time. Come late is probably easiest. Or, skip it altogether and drop by the house with a gift a different day.

How many adults are going? Will there be parents of a bunch of her friends?

If my mom took me to Chuck E Cheese for my birthday I wouldn’t expect my great uncle to be there.

Yes. It’s not a great franchise. It’s a kid magnet, and they know the kids don’t care about quality of anything, so they pinch pennies EVERYWHERE. IMHO, take your kid to a better arcade and THEN go somewhere better for pizza.

@Dutchess_III No, I didn’t. :-)

“My niece is 41. We were talking about the prospect of taking her daughter to Chunky Cheese.”
Now I’m confused. How old is your niece’s daughter?

@Dutchess_III

One is 11 and the other one is 3.

Thanks

I think 11yo is probably too old for Chuck E. Cheese. Maybe ironically with a couple of friends. But not a birthday party.

The 3 year old will LOVE it!