Calling All Cars: Trouble at Chuck E. Cheese's, Again

The Wall Street Journal ^ | December 9, 2008 | Anna Prior

[Cecily]

In Brookfield, Wis., no restaurant has triggered more calls to the police department since last year than Chuck E. Cheese's.

Officers have been called to break up 12 fights, some of them physical, at the child-oriented pizza parlor since January 2007. The biggest melee broke out in April, when an uninvited adult disrupted a child's birthday party. Seven officers arrived and found as many as 40 people knocking over chairs and yelling in front of the restaurant's music stage, where a robotic singing chicken and the chain's namesake mouse perform.

Chuck E. Cheese's bills itself as a place "where a kid can be a kid." But to law-enforcement officials across the country, it has a more particular distinction: the scene of a surprising amount of disorderly conduct and battery among grown-ups.

"The biggest problem is you have a bunch of adults acting like juveniles," says Town of Brookfield Police Capt. Timothy Imler. "There's a biker bar down the street, and we rarely get calls there."

It isn't clear exactly how often fights break out at Chuck E. Cheese's 538 locations. Richard Huston, executive vice president of marketing for the chain's parent company, CEC Entertainment Inc. of Irving, Texas, describes their occurrence as "atypical," saying he has heard of "four or five significant adult altercations" this year. But in some cities, law-enforcement officials say the number of disruptions at their local outlet is far higher than at nearby restaurants, and even many bars. "We've had some unfortunate and unusual altercations between adults at these locations," Mr. Huston says. "Even one is just way too many."

[al baby]

thats crazy

[SevenofNine]

Well the Chucky Cheese that I went too is kinda gangstra neighborhood you see bunch of gangstra looking people in restaurant I went too women with tatoos and children who screaming bloody murder

[AppyPappy]

Was that the same Chuck’s where Plexico Burress vented his leg?

[SevenofNine]

AL Baby it is true storyyyy

I think one of Freeper is right Chucky E Cheese is like adjancet transer custory of rugrat to other parent

[dead]

Yep, back back the dog fighting pit.

[ryan71]

“I would wonder what type of neighborhoods these altercations occur in”

The one I went to was in a nice part of a nice town and it was terrible. It was like a scene from a post-nuclear war movie. Survival of the fittest. Kids, babies being mowed over for Chuckie tickets.

[retrokitten]

I agree.

The whole place is a sensory overload, flashing lights, loud noises and bells going off non-stop, kids screaming, running around like packs of pizza-hungry wolves, and they serve booze. It’s set up to jangle the nerves of anyone over 8 years old.

I’m surprised there aren’t more fist fights. Heck, I’d probably start a fight to get out of that place. Given the option, I’d probably spend a night in the clink rather then Chuck E. Cheese’s, too.

[Blueflag]

here’s a look at THAT facility ...

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&q=brookfield+wisconsin+chuck+e+cheese&fb=1&cid=0,0,18023029687101084858&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

[weegee]

Pshaaww.

40 people.

600 music fans caught in wild brawl (australia)
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/12/08/1228584689416.html

[rogue yam]

We’re not supposed to discuss this because of who it is doing the brawling, but fighting at Chuck E. Cheese’s has passed from a phenomenon to a meme. Google “Chuck E. Cheese” and “fight” for the phenomenon. Check out YouTube for the meme in all of its splendor.

[tiki]

I was going to point out that it was divorced people, most of them fighting for custody or trying to show that they are the better parent so they can try to make the kids “choose” between parents.

[djf]

LMAO!!!

Minivans full of mothers!
Hope Junior chokes on his whiffle ball!

ROFL!!

[weegee]

The whole place is a sensory overload, flashing lights, loud noises and bells going off non-stop, kids screaming, running around like packs of pizza-hungry wolves, and they serve booze. It’s set up to jangle the nerves of anyone over 8 years old.

Apart from the kids, it sounds exactly like Las Vegas. Only Vegas has even more booze.

[retrokitten]

LMAO

Their booze is free.

[Ouderkirk]

NAILED IT !!!!

[Scythian]

Imagine the kids sitting around and witnessing all this.

[east1234]

You may have hit on the reason this is occurring. Divorced parents and their families getting together, maybe for the first time in years, for the kids birthday. Having had our daughters party there this past Spring I can relate. My psycho ex showed up, of course I’m way to civilized to get in a fight at my daughters Bday party. These people need to take their stuff out into the parking lot. lol

[Ouderkirk]

The culprits must be the GE Medical field engineers getting liquored up...LOL

[Dixie Yooper]

I heard this morning on the WSJ Report that over 70% of Chucky Cheese restaurants serve beer. What a great idea, watch your kids play while you drink a few pitchers, then drive your little ones home...

[4BoysMom]

It has long been my opinion that Chuck E. Cheese is nothing more than a casino for kids. It always brings out the worst in children and their parents.

I was just thinking about it one day and it occured to me... Las Vegas/Atlantic City for kids... flashing lights, ringing bells, clammoring for tokens and tickets... cheap entertainment... expensive and bad food... it’s all there!

Kiddie casino... train them up and one day they will be sitting in a real casino, sucking down beer and feeding coins in a machine waiting for the big payoff...
sad really...