Latest news with #DavidMcKillips
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chuck E. Cheese Partners with The Toy Foundation™ to Celebrate International Day of Play
Family entertainment leader to offer free active play all day at participating locations June 11 Adventure Zone Active Play at Chuck E. Cheese IRVING, Texas, June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chuck E. Cheese, the world's leading family entertainment fun center, is celebrating the power of play by partnering with The Toy Foundation™, which delivers play to millions of children when they need it most, for International Day of Play on June 11 with free active play all day and fundraisers. The partnership comes as the United Nations marks the second annual International Day of Play, established in 2024 to champion and protect every child's right to play as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. On June 11, participating Chuck E. Cheese fun centers in the U.S., Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Trinidad & Tobago will offer free active play all day for all children under 56 inches tall in its new Adventure Zones, which include Trampoline Zones and Superhero Playground attractions, where available, with coupon found at Throughout the month of June, more than 400 Chuck E. Cheese locations across the U.S. and Canada will support The Toy Foundation's mission to deliver brand-new toys and play opportunities to children in need through a two-part fundraising campaign: A national fundraiser, June 9-12: Chuck E. Cheese will donate 20% of sales from guests who mention The Toy Foundation at the checkout in-store. A Round it Up campaign June 1-30: Guests will have the option to round up their purchase by donating $1, $3 or $5 in-store or online. 'At Chuck E. Cheese, we've built our legacy on creating fun, memorable play experiences for families for nearly 50 years,' said David McKillips, President and CEO of Chuck E. Cheese. 'Our partnership with The Toy Foundation™ extends our mission beyond our Fun Centers, and into communities where the power of play can truly transform lives. We believe Chuck E. Cheese is how the world celebrates childhood, and every child deserves the opportunity to play, learn and grow in a safe, supportive environment.' Proceeds from the fundraisers will help expand the reach and impact of The Toy Foundation™, which brings toys, games and play opportunities to children in hospitals, underserved communities and in crisis situations following natural or humanitarian disasters around the world. 'By partnering with Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate International Day of Play, The Toy Foundation™ can bring the power of play to even more children in need,' said Pamela Mastrota, executive director of The Toy Foundation. 'Their commitment to joyful play experiences aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver the vital benefits of play to children facing life's most difficult circumstances.' For more information about Chuck E. Cheese's partnership with The Toy Foundation™ and International Day of Play activities, visit About Chuck E. Cheese Chuck E. Cheese is the place where half a million happy birthdays are celebrated every year, with a mission to create positive, lifelong memories for families through fun, food and play. For over 47 years, Chuck E. Cheese has been the place Where A Kid Can Be A Kid®, and it continues to set the standard for family entertainment through interactive experiences, exciting arcade games and its beloved Chuck E. Cheese character. Committed to providing a fun, safe and inclusive environment, Chuck E. Cheese helps protect families through industry-leading programs such as Kid Check®. As a strong advocate for its local communities, Chuck E. Cheese has donated more than $24 million to schools and nonprofits through its fundraising programs. The Company and its franchisees operate a system of nearly 600 Chuck E. Cheese fun centers in 45 U.S. states and 17 foreign countries and territories. In PMQ's Pizza Power Report 2025, Chuck E. Cheese was named one of the top 10 pizza chains in the U.S. For more information, visit The Toy Foundation™ (TTF) is the philanthropic arm of The Toy Association and the toy industry. Its mission is to serve children in need by providing joy and comfort through the experience of toys and play. TTF delivers the benefits of play to children through strategic grantmaking, toy donations, and impactful programs like The Toy Chest and Play Fund. Through industry-wide engagement and strategic partnerships, TTF serves as a unifying force for collective philanthropy to benefit all children in need. For more information, visit Media Contact:Chuck E. CheeseKendra ByrdKendra@ 817-329-3257 The Toy FoundationKristin Morency Goldmankmorency@ 646.454.5582 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
NBC News
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Chuck E. Cheese wants to be the Costco of family fun
Chuck E. Cheese wants you to stop by as frequently as you pick up groceries, and it's selling subscription plans to sweeten the pitch. The 47-year-old pizzeria and arcade chain has emerged from bankruptcy with renovated locations, a slew of digital upgrades and a membership program that it hopes will prove both affordable and habit-forming. The goal isn't to be just someplace to take your kids once or twice a year for birthday parties. It's to turn Chuck E. Cheese into a routine recreational option that can compete with Netflix and the neighborhood playground alike. 'For us to win this game, we need to drive multi-visitation,' David McKillips, the president and CEO of Chuck E. Cheese's parent company, told NBC News in January. The chain launched a membership program in August 2024 and said Tuesday that it has sold 200,000 12-month subscriptions since then, with three tiers ranging from $7.99 to $29.99 a month. Annual 'Fun Pass' holders get unlimited visits, discounts on food and attractions, and other perks to encourage what McKillips described as 'active play' — a post-pandemic priority for customers. Even at the upper price point, he said, 'it is very reasonable for parents and families to come out and have a reasonably priced pizza and gameplay every single day.' Making memberships work will require Chuck E. Cheese to carve a place in consumers' wallets alongside their other subscriptions — for everything from streaming services to wholesale clubs — at a time when many are looking to trim their spending. The upgrades are designed to ensure visitors find something new every time they walk through the doors, McKillips said. It is very reasonable for parents and families to come out and have a reasonably priced pizza and gameplay every single day. David McKillips, ceo of cec entertainment Gone are most of the chain's iconic animatronics, though the company agreed to hang on to more of them at select locations after a fan outcry. McKillips acknowledged that 'Five Nights at Freddy's,' a 2023 horror flick based on a video game series in which the robomascots of a defunct pizza chain are possessed by the spirits of dead children, 'had some impact regarding the brand overall.' But he added, 'People were talking about Chuck E. Cheese, which is good for us.' Now there are far fewer life-size rodent musicians and more jumbotrons, a digital dance floor and other displays for digital media that can be refreshed continuously. 'We just switched out of our holiday content,' McKillips said at the start of the year. 'Then it goes into evergreen, and then we've got spring and a summer of fun and Halloween.' Chuck E. Cheese is also revamping its play spaces to include trampolines and obstacle courses, part of an effort to 'create an adventure zone in every single one of our locations,' McKillips said. The brand recently invested $350 million to remodel its over 460 U.S. locations, launch a new slate of games and tweak its food offerings. The changes are part of a turnaround effort after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020, when Covid-19 slammed into brick-and-mortar businesses of all kinds. The company avoided mass store closures, in part by using idled Chuck E. Cheese kitchens to prepare food for delivery under the name Pasqually's Pizza & Wings. McKillips said that solution kept all the chain's general managers employed. The company is also refreshing its food menu with more 'grown-up' options, including items that cater to 'a little bit spicier palate.' And while Chuck E. Cheese has plenty of options to entertain 4- and 5-year-olds, 'the teenagers come in, you know, older siblings — we've got games for them as well,' McKillips said. The effort to appeal to the full range of family tastes is key to getting 'parents and kids playing together,' he said. 'That is the greatest driver of our guests and how we built the entire new Chuck E. Cheese.'
