Thinking of going to Chuck E Cheeses? May want to think again!

[LivelyLissa]

Oh MY!!!!

I know that Chuck E Cheese is the anti Mickey, but OMG!!!!

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.

Read the full story. It's amazing that adults would do these things!!!!!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122878081364889613.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_mostpop

 

[freckles and boo]

I know it is not a very Wisconsin thing to do but STOP SELLING BEER IN A KIDDIE RESTAURANT.

 

[JB111107]

I know it is not a very Wisconsin thing to do but STOP SELLING BEER IN A KIDDIE RESTAURANT.

I never did understand that logic....any place that is geared to kids or being advertised as such has no business selling alcohol of any kind in my opinion.

 

[c4a]

"Where an adult can behave worse than a kid."

From the article:

According to police reports, it started when parents complained to the restaurant manager that children were loitering at the drawing machine. The children were Barbie Clifton's daughters, then 14 and 10 years old. Ms. Clifton had come out of the bathroom when she saw a woman yelling at her daughters and her friend.

"I thought, 'Oh my God, what's happening here?'" says the 42-year-old stay-at-home mom. "Instead of [the woman] going to the parent or going to the manager, she was calling my friend and daughters all of those names."

That touched off a fight between more than 10 people, in which participants punched and screamed at each other. One woman removed the red rope that marks the entrance queue and handed it to another woman, who swung the metal clip attached to it at others involved in the incident.

"I thought they were going to start attacking me," says Sheri Kellar-Raab, the first officer who responded.

geeez...and we wonder why some kids act the way they do...with role models like these?

 

[MoniqueU]

The wine was the only way i could take the place. I am glad my kids are older and we have Johns incredible Pizza. Much nicer place.

I did see a fight and cops at the local Chuckee Cheese once though. It wasn't pretty.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I can't believe Chuck E. Cheese is still operating. I thought the idea was dopey back in the 80's and would be short lived. Interesting clientele they attract though...

 

[MrsKreamer]

We go to CEC about 3 or 4 times a year, more so around their birthdays and during months that don't have a lot going on. We try to go during off times because of crap like this. If it isn't parents screaming at each other it's kids that are too old to be there(read teens and some older tweens) running and knocking over the little kids or the staff hanging out with their friends...etc.

Being from New Orleans, I never thought it strange about CEC selling beer, as do most places around here. I don't think its the beer, I think it is the people.

 

[Planogirl]

How can any parent survive sitting in that place without a beer? I still shudder when I think of it. After all, they have rats! (No way that's a mouse.)

We have a huge Gattitown nearby and that place is so much nicer! We still go there occasionally even though DS is way beyond the Chuck E Cheese stage.

 

[HumanLegs]

So sad. And people wonder why some kids are brats! Look at who they're learning their behaviors from. That said, I don't think removing the beer will eliminate the problems. It'll help though. I was reading that article and it mentioned the fight in Flint. That's where I live and it's so sad that parents act this way! I never go to Chuck E Cheese's for that reason. I go to a similar place though. It's a half hour away but I figure that's a small price for my kids well-being. They also serve beer but they never have the issues that CEC has.

 

[Strangeite]

I never did understand that logic....any place that is geared to kids or being advertised as such has no business selling alcohol of any kind in my opinion.

Hush!!! I don't want Disney to get any ideas and stop serving alcohol at Epcot, DHS or AK.

 

[TEENEE]

MrsKreamer, I'm surprised to hear your CEC has teenage kids running around. My son and a couple of his friends tried to go to CEC, I think they were 16 years old. CEC would not let them in without an adult.

 

[friendofgusgus]

This is not just a Wisconsin problem!

From our local paper's website, this past March:

Two Boston-area moms are being summoned to court after police say they got into a fistfight at Chuck E. Cheese Saturday when one woman's son "hogged" an arcade game from the other's 9-year-old birthday boy.

Catherine Aliaga, 38, and Tarsha Williams, 33, will be charged with simple assault and battery after they started shouting and scuffling at a celebration for Aliaga's son's birthday.

"Unfortunately, a birthday night out turned into a birthday melee," police Sgt. Paul Thompson said. "I don't even know if they finished their pizza."

Officers responded at 6:50 p.m. to a number of 911 calls, finding Aliaga with red marks on her upper chest, Thompson said.

Aliaga took offense to Williams' 13-year-old son using a basketball game machine for a long time, the sergeant said. Aliaga told her son to be patient while the other boy had his turn with the game.

At one point, Williams' son apparently pushed the boy, who accused him of "hogging" the game.

Aliaga said the other boy was done shooting hoops, and Williams replied, "No, he's not," Thompson said.

"Next thing you know, words were exchanged," and things got physical between the moms with shouts, shoves and pushes, the sergeant said.

"Williams lunged at Aliaga, grabbed her and began to hit her," punching her on the side of her face, Thompson said.

Williams told Aliaga, "the fight was not over and it would continue outside in the parking lot," Thompson said.

Police arrived to find the women in the birthday room.

They sent the women and their children home separately, Thompson said.

Aliaga, of 14 Elliswood St., West Roxbury, and Williams, of 51 Ellington St., Dorchester, will be summoned to court at a later date, the sergeant said.

"We are taking charges out against both of them," he said.

A Chuck E. Cheese manager in Natick referred comment to CEC Entertainment's Texas-based corporate office, which was closed yesterday.

 

[BirdLegsRed]

I know this is kinda off topic, but....We're taking DD6 there for her birthday next month and I am trying to figure how many tokens to get. Is each game one token, or does it take several to play one game? Thanks!

 

[SpaceMtnFan]

Which begs the question "Can't we all get along?" I was in a crowded Chuck E Cheese's Resturaant in Columbus ohio and the worst thing that happend to me was some of the Games were not working right . but no fighting. GROW UP PEOPLE!!! Stop acting like your chrildern

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Hush!!! I don't want Disney to get any ideas and stop serving alcohol at Epcot, DHS or AK.

If Chuck E. Cheese's started charging a $65 cover to get in, I guarantee a fair percentage of the guests would think twice before acting up and/or possibly getting tossed...

 

[Amy&Dan]

My husband and I used to go to Chuck E Cheese's during off times when the kids were little. We'd have a glass of wine, let the kids play and then dh would take the remaining tokens and play this snake eyes game he was really good at and get about 500 tickets for the kids! It was a fun time. But when we would go during crowded times for parties, it was horrifying. Loud, dirty, and older kids trying to get tokens and tickets off smaller kids. I did see a couple of moms getting into it once over the one's kid taking the other's kids tokens from her. It would have been funny if I hadn't suddenly thought, God I hope nobody here has a gun.

My kids are 12 and 14 now and I can't say I am sorry the bday party at Chuck E's are over.

 

[castleview]

I don't think its the beer, I think it is the people.

I agree. We had DD's birthday party there and the parents drinking beer were quite relaxed. I suggest you have the party during a massive rainstorm - that worked out great for us!

 

[ICF]

I know this is kinda off topic, but....We're taking DD6 there for her birthday next month and I am trying to figure how many tokens to get. Is each game one token, or does it take several to play one game? Thanks!

1 token = 1 game.

Sign up for the email list and they'll send you some decent coupons too.

 

[ntsammy5]

Jay Leno mentioned that there some helath concerns at Chuck's in SoCal too

 

[LivelyLissa]

I actually like CEC as a rainy morning activity. Great place for the kids to let off steam. But going during party time is horrible, absolutely horrible. I premedicate anytime I go.