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Showbiz Pizza Place - 1980

The original ShowBiz Pizza Place logo, used from 1980 to 1994

ShowBiz Pizza 1989 Logo

The second and final ShowBiz Pizza Place logo, used from 1986 until 1993

ShowBiz Pizza Place was a restaurant chain which was very popular in the 1980s. Its history is greatly intertwined with that of its main competitor and eventual successor, Chuck E. Cheese's. Both companies found early success, owing partially to the rise in popularity of arcade games at the time. The basic concept was to offer pizza, a large selection of arcade games, and an animatronic stage show as a complete package of food and entertainment. The largest difference between the two, and easiest way to distinguish the two chains, was the different robotics and the mascots that each concept used. The mascot for ShowBiz was Billy Bob, an overall-clad hillbilly bear.

History[]

The business was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1980[1] by Bob Brock, owner of Brock Hotel Corporation. At the time, Brock was quite successful as one of the largest franchisors in the Holiday Inn hotel system. Eighty percent of ShowBiz Pizza was owned by Brock Hotel Corporation. The other 20 percent was owned by Creative Engineering, Inc., who was responsible for producing the animatronics show ShowBiz used: The Rock-afire Explosion.[2] In 1982, the company moved its headquarters to Irving, Texas. In 1984, ShowBiz Pizza purchased the assets of its predecessor, Pizza Time Theatre, after they declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, changing the name of the company to ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. in the process.[1] Both restaurants continued operating as separate entities.

Child on ride at ShowBiz Pizza in Fayetteville, Arkansas

A child rides a ride at the ShowBiz Pizza location in Fayetteville, Arkansas

The continued financial decline of ShowBiz Pizza Time began to turn around as result of the efforts by Richard M. Frank, who became president and COO in 1985 and chairman and CEO in 1986.[3] Based on customer research, Frank instituted a number of changes to appeal to younger children and parents. Specific measures included increased lighting, expanded and improved food, table service, self-serve fountain drinks, increased rides, and distinct toddler areas.[4] After a few more years, ShowBiz Pizza Time became publicly traded, severed ties with Creative Engineering, and ultimately restructured the restaurants under Concept Unification in 1990.[2] This effort consisted of retrofitting all ShowBiz animatronics into Chuck E. Cheese characters and renaming nearly all locations to Chuck E. Cheese's between 1988 and 1994. This would mark the end of the concept known as "ShowBiz Pizza". Although the company is technically still in business, the current management of the "Chuck E. Cheese's" concept is a direct line from the "ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc." era, with little connection to the original "Pizza Time Theatre" ownership. In 1997, ShowBiz Pizza Time changed its name to CEC Entertainment, Inc., and moved its stock from NASDAQ to NYSE.[1]

The vast majority of former ShowBiz Pizza Place locations were converted into Chuck E. Cheese's locations. These locations used the 3-Stage show format. Some locations were also closed at this time, while other former ShowBiz locations converted to independent entities.

There are a few restaurants still using the ShowBiz Pizza Place name and animatronics. All of these are located outside the United States and have no connection to the original company. Known locations are in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. One also operated in Salmiya, Kuwait, but was firebombed during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait during August 1989 and was repaired or reopened.[5] There was one return of the brand in the United States, named ShowBiz Pizza Zone. However, this ended up being short-lived as it closed on May 30, 2010, only two years after its opening. Chris Thrash still maintained the building privately, but later sold his show to Aaron Fechter, who would sell it to a theme park in South Korea.

Like its successor, ShowBiz Pizza had its own tokens and tickets, and continued to provide and accept them even after the Concept Unification.

International Versions[]

Billy Bob's Pizza Theater was an Australian ShowBiz Pizza Place. It featured the same things as ShowBiz, including the Rock-afire Explosion. It was located in Knox, Victoria, Australia and closed in the late 1990s.

ShowBiz Pizza Fiesta was the version of ShowBiz Pizza Place in Mexico in the early 1980s. Most of them either closed or became international Pistol Pete's Pizza locations. Some also became international Fun Time Pizzas as well. Fatz, Rolfe, Beach Bear, and Dook from one SPF store can be found in Museo del Juguete, which is located at Ciudad de México.

Showbiz Pizza Plaza was the version of Showbiz Pizza Place in Guatemala in the mid-late 1980s. Only one location was opened, being in Guatemala City. This location would receive Concept Unification in 1993, and would relocate to a different area in 1996. The relocated location opened with the 3-Stage from the old store (which came from the Showbiz in Terre Haute, Indiana, which closed between 1985 and 1986) and a 2-Stage. The 2-Stage was removed in the mid 2000s, with the "Chuck E. Cheese" light sign from the 2-Stage being moved to the 3-Stage. Jasper and Pasqually would also have their latex masks all the way until closure, with them being the last latex masks of both characters in-store. The "Zona 9" store was also the only 3-Stage outside of the United States, as all other international Showbiz locations (Showbiz Pizza Fiestas in Mexico) closed in 1991. The "Zona 9" store would permanently close in 2016, with them relocating to the Concepcion County store, which features a botless Circles of Light stage. The bots and a few props (Center Stage buildings, Chuck's star, Munch's keyboard, Pasqually's drums.) were put on display behind a glass window above the coffee and desserts counter. While Jasper still has his latex mask, Pasqually has had a walkaround Pasqually head placed over him, making it unknown if he still has the mask on or off underneath.

References[]

External Links[]

Wikipedia

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia.

The original article was at ShowBiz Pizza Place. 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.

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