Chuck E. Cheese was Atari founder Nolan Bushnell's grand vision for American dining: a fusion of pizza, video games and animatronic animals.
Despite its commercial struggles over the years, the (pizza) house of mouse is still hanging in there, and owner CEC Entertainment Holdings, LLC. recently decided to rename its Fun Spot Arcade under the new Chuck’s Arcade branding, which is aimed at teens and adults – with the latter demographic presumably having some nostalgic connection to the original '80s Chuck E. Cheese operation.
It has now been reported that the flagship location – an expanded venue known as Chuck's Arcade and Pizzeria in Kansas City, MO – has abruptly closed down, leading some fans to speculate that the future of the Chuck empire could be in peril.
Kansas City resident Daniel Molster reports:
"It is with very deep regret to announce this... because the company sure didn't. Chuck's Arcade & Pizzeria, the chain's flagship location has permanently closed today, 1/6/26. Confirmed with corporate, this is not a good look for the struggling brand. You closed your "love letter to the fans" location with 0 notice. Don't make the mistake I made, don't travel here because it is unfortunately not reopening. No plans on what will happen to the artwork, cyberamic, or anything else have been confirmed yet. We can only hope they will open another location in a more populated/touristy area."
Photos from the now-empty location have since cropped up on Reddit.
Here's a video of what the location looked like prior to closure:
Thanks to Ryan Hoye for the tip!