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[[File:Pizza Time Theatre logo.jpg|thumb|right|Pizza Time Theatre logo]]
 
[[File:Pizza Time Theatre logo.jpg|thumb|right|Pizza Time Theatre logo]]
   
'''Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre''' was a chain of restaurants founded in 1977 by Atari founder [[Nolan Bushnell]]. This was the original [[Chuck E. Cheese's]].
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'''Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre''' was a chain of restaurants founded in 1977 by Atari's cofounder [[wikipedia:Nolan Bushnell|Nolan Bushnell]]. This was the original name for [[Chuck E. Cheese]].
   
 
==History==
 
==History==
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[[File:Nolan Bushnell with Chuck E. Cheese.jpg|thumb|right|Nolan Bushnell poses with the [[Chuck E. Cheese]] walkaround character.]]
Bushnell founded Pizza Time Theatre in 1977, to advertise Atari games. The first Pizza Time Theatre opened in San Jose, California. in 1977. The chain began opening locations nationwide in the early 1980s. Around 1984, the restaurant tested out a new pizza recipe, in order to bring more customers, ultimately failing, sending Pizza Time Theatre into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Their competitor, [[ShowBiz Pizza Place]], acquired the company that same year, and the two companies merged to form "[[ShowBiz Pizza Time]], Inc".
 
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In 1977, while working at [[wikipedia:Atari|Atari]], Nolan Bushnell purchased Pizza Time Theatre from [[Wikipedia:Time Warner Communications|Warner Communications]].
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It had been created by Bushnell, originally as a place where kids could eat pizza and play video games, which would therefore function as a distribution channel for Atari games.
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In 1981, Bushnell turned over day-to-day food operations of Chuck E. Cheese’s to a newly hired restaurant executive and focused on Catalyst Technologies.
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During this time, Bushnell was using large loans on his Pizza Time Theatre stock to fund Catalyst.
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By the end of 1983, Pizza Time Theatre was having serious financial problems. President and long-time friend Joe Keenan resigned that fall. Bushnell tried to step back in, blaming the money problems on overexpansion, too much tweaking of the formula, and saturation in local markets by the management team. He resigned in February 1984, when the Board of Directors rejected his proposed changes. Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the fall of 1984.
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[[ShowBiz Pizza Place]], a similarly-themed competitor to Pizza Time Theatre that was also struggling financially, then purchased Pizza Time Theatre and assumed its debt. The newly formed company, [[ShowBiz Pizza Time]], operated restaurants under both brands for a period of time before converting all Showbiz locations under the Chuck E. Cheese's brand via [[Concept Unification]] after [[Aaron Fechter]] of [[Creative_Engineering]] didn't agree to give the rights to [[The Rock-afire Explosion]] to [[CEC Entertainment|Showbiz]] Corporate.
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{{Wikipedia}}
 
{{stub}}
 
{{stub}}
 
[[Category:Pizza Time Theatre| ]]
 
[[Category:Pizza Time Theatre| ]]
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[[Category:CEC Entertainment]]
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[[Category:Chuck E. Cheese's]]

Revision as of 14:41, 9 February 2021

Pizza Time Theatre logo

Pizza Time Theatre logo

Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre was a chain of restaurants founded in 1977 by Atari's cofounder Nolan Bushnell. This was the original name for Chuck E. Cheese.

History

Nolan Bushnell with Chuck E

Nolan Bushnell poses with the Chuck E. Cheese walkaround character.

In 1977, while working at Atari, Nolan Bushnell purchased Pizza Time Theatre from Warner Communications.

It had been created by Bushnell, originally as a place where kids could eat pizza and play video games, which would therefore function as a distribution channel for Atari games.

In 1981, Bushnell turned over day-to-day food operations of Chuck E. Cheese’s to a newly hired restaurant executive and focused on Catalyst Technologies.

During this time, Bushnell was using large loans on his Pizza Time Theatre stock to fund Catalyst.

By the end of 1983, Pizza Time Theatre was having serious financial problems. President and long-time friend Joe Keenan resigned that fall. Bushnell tried to step back in, blaming the money problems on overexpansion, too much tweaking of the formula, and saturation in local markets by the management team. He resigned in February 1984, when the Board of Directors rejected his proposed changes. Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the fall of 1984.

ShowBiz Pizza Place, a similarly-themed competitor to Pizza Time Theatre that was also struggling financially, then purchased Pizza Time Theatre and assumed its debt. The newly formed company, ShowBiz Pizza Time, operated restaurants under both brands for a period of time before converting all Showbiz locations under the Chuck E. Cheese's brand via Concept Unification after Aaron Fechter of Creative_Engineering didn't agree to give the rights to The Rock-afire Explosion to Showbiz Corporate.

Wikipedia

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia.

The original article was at {{{1}}}. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with ShowBiz Pizza Place, the text of Wikipedia:ShowBiz Pizza Place is available under the Wikipedia:GNU Free Documentation License.