Lisa L.
Yelp
Yes, 4 stars for Chuck E Cheese, but not for the pizza, consistently terrible! We have had a few birthday parties here with a dozen little bouncing-off-the-walls kiddos and it is about as easy on the adults as possible, (other than the bleeping and dinging noises and blinky-flashy lights). I love that the kids each get a cup of tokens to run around with, virtually worry-free with the facility's safety check exit system. The party host has always been great, leading the kids around, dancing with them, passing out the food, etc. The windy ticket booth that the children attending the party get to go in and attempt to grab as many tickets as they can in in whatever the time limit is...well, I am just jealous. They move the parties right along, include plenty of playtime to avoid tantrums (there is always the one kid at the party that is like a ticking time bomb), and Chuck E Cheese himself makes an appearance for the birthday boy or girl-which let me tell you, was better than Mickey Mouse when my son turned 5.
In addition to the reasonably priced parties (compared to outrageously expensive bouncy house venues), there are other reasons that I enjoy coming here for my son's sake. I enjoy the salad bar-it really isn't bad for being in an arcade. The dressings do not come in a packet, and they service the station constantly. The veggies are fresh and properly chilled. They have beer for my husband. Not good beer, but unexpected beer makes him happy, especially around screaming little toddlers. A huge plus is that each game/ride is only one token. They offer many ways online or with food deals to get bonus tokens too. Even the roller coaster simulator that you lay down on and bounce around and pretend to hold on for dear life for your kid's benefit so he believes he is on a big boy ride...that one is also one token. They have a gajillion games in which you can hit a ticket jackpot-those are addicting, but somehow my son wins now and then so they are also worth the token. I like the array of photo taking machines available. I have pics of my son as a toddler in the little Chuck E Cheese mobile, and one of each offering from the ID machine- it generates a cute little card you can carry around in your wallet with themes like snowboarding and firefighting starring your kid. The sketch machine is another good one. There are also tubes to crawl in that go up to the ceiling which is a nice extra. Great for a rainy weekday with a little one when you don't have a lot of money to spend.
I do miss the old days when they had the stage with all of the characters and "theatre" seats...but there aren't many places like this left that have an appealing theme to kids without costing a fortune. I think the staff does a great job here also, I must say- very polite and friendly.