When did Show Biz become Chuck E. Cheese?
— Curious Before we get to your actual question, did you know that the company that owns Chuck E. Cheese’s, is called CEC Entertainment Inc., and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange? (Symbol: CEC.) Originally, Showbiz Pizza Place and Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre were two totally different companies. Showbiz was founded in 1980 in Topeka, Kansas by a man who was one of the largest franchisers of Holiday Inns. The original mascot for Showbiz was (and we’re quoting from Wikipedia here) “Billy Bob, an overall-clad hillbilly bear.” Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre was founded in 1977 by Nolan Bushnell. (That name might sound familiar, because he also founded Atari.) Showbiz and Chuck E. Cheese were originally competitors, but merged in 1984. The restaurants kept operating under their original names for awhile, but in 1991-1992, they changed all of the restaurants into one brand — Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza. In 2009, there were 542 restaurants operating. So, let’s see — Show
