Family entertainment centers have been a popular choice for kids and adults alike for years now. Offering affordable weekend getaways and quality time with the family, these fun centers have gained popularity over the years. However, the landscape has drastically changed with the challenges of the pandemic and the evolution of digital entertainment.
In this article, we will look at how family entertainment centers have evolved over the years.
Over the last decade, there have been some of the biggest changes in the family entertainment center industry, especially in the children’s entertainment center segment. Initially, it started as new, soft, and contained play equipment for children, it went on to take the shape of several new and engaging centers for kids. The children’s entertainment centers or the CECs continue to grow, focusing on different age groups (from infants to age 9) and offering a mix of rides, games, soft contained plays, interactive and engaging games, animatronics, and edutainment.
How a Focus on CECs Has Kept the Industry Booming?
When we look at the CECs, every nook and cranny of every attraction is targeted mainly at the children. Parents participate in the activities too, but their role is secondary. However, it is necessary to make it a memorable experience for the parents as well.
CECs date back to the first half of this century when amusement centers and indoor arcades boomed in the United States. These arcades and amusement parks were not exactly designed with children in mind but had some elements for kids. This greatly helped increase their market base and made it an entertaining experience for the entire family.
This particular business model saw immense growth until video games were introduced. Let’s look at the timeline of how arcades and entertainment centers evolved!
- 1977
Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese pioneered the first Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Theatre in San Jose, California.
This theatre combined single-user and token-operated rides designed especially for children. It also featured activities like redemption games and robotic animatronic shows, along with kid-friendly food such as pizza.
- 1979
Bob Brock, an entrepreneur, and the owner of several Holiday Inn hotel chains went on another venture and started a chain of Showbiz Pizza Place.
Similar to the offerings of Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Theatre, the Showbiz Pizza Place family entertainment center also added an indoor amusement park and a computer-controlled robotic animal show.
- 1984
Things soon went downwire, when Chuck E. Cheese filed for Chapter IX bankruptcy. Bob Brock later purchased the chain and merged it with Showbiz Pizza Time, Inc.
- 1992
Chuck E. Cheese and Showbiz Pizza Time, Inc. were rebranded as Showbiz Pizza. As a result, some of the features were changed, such as the Rock-afire Explosion show was replaced with the Chuck E. Cheese character show.
- 1993
Showbiz Pizza Time changed the names of all their restaurants to Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza and finally in 1998, ran it under the corporate banner of CEC Entertainment, Inc.
How SCP’s Made All the Difference in the Growth of Children’s Entertainment Centers?
In the year 1982, Jack Pentes invented the concept of soft-contained play equipment. The SCPs were designed with the intention of the safety of children. This overcame most of the hazards they faced in an outdoor play setting.
The SCP gained traction and opened several new avenues for entrepreneurs. They could experiment with various facilities. As such, the first ever SCP systems came to be installed in the Showbiz Pizza restaurants and soon became standard components. Burger King, the fast food chain, joined the trend and realized the SCP play systems placed in front of their restaurants greatly increased their sales. The SCP play systems spread quickly to other fast food chains, including McDonald’s. The introduction of SCPs transformed an ordinary food chain into a family fun center.
The Physical Whimsical to Discovery Zone – A Look At Some of the Most Popular Children’s Entertainment Centers
Physical Whimsical was the first ever CEC founded by Nathan Elinoff in Englewood, Colorado in 1983. This family fun center was spread in a 50,000 sq.ft area with three levels. This center had many play equipment that included ball crawl, pillow bounces, self-powered cart tracks, punch bag forest, puppet theatre, carousel, playhouses, and other traditional playground equipment.
With the massive success of this entertainment arena, in the following years of 1984 and 1985, Nathan opened two more Physical Whimsical’s in Houston, Texas. He then moved back to Denver in 1986 and opened another family fun center named Funtastic Nathan’s in a 33,000 Sq. ft area. This included a carousel and a roller coaster.
Following this trend of SCP and family fun centers, Ron Match and Al Fong, with strong backgrounds in physical fitness opened Discovery Zone in 1989 in Kansas City, Missouri. Discovery Zone came to be known as the first children’s entertainment center supported by SCP. These Discovery Zones were spread in about 9000-11,000 sq. ft in size which then grew to be as large as 18,000 sq. ft.
Next, McDonald’s entered the scene with their Leaps ‘N’ Bounds, a SCP pay-for-play center, and validated the family entertainment center industry. Similar to the Discovery Zones, Leaps ‘N’ Bounds were larger with better design and management. Discovery Zones nearly filed for bankruptcy until it was acquired by Blockbuster. Blockbuster later also bought the Leaps ‘N’ Bounds chain from McDonald’s and eliminated their biggest competitor. The Blockbuster group then converted it all to DZ’s and established a worldwide chain of over 300 centers.
DZ again filed for bankruptcy in 1999 for the second time, and all their stores have now closed. DZ tried to experiment with their service offerings but failed to do so, as they lost sight of their age focus.
The Modern-Day Leading Family Entertainment Centers
PLEASE ADD LOGOS OF THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES
Cinergy Entertainment Group
cinergy.com
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Operations: 9 centers with a total of 82 cinema screens and 44 bowling lanes.
Dine-in Cinemas: All locations feature dine-in cinemas that serve alcoholic beverages and offer restaurant-quality food.
Amenities:
- Bowling
- Billiards
- Full bars
- Laser tag
- Escape rooms
- Virtual reality hologate
- Sky Walker ropes course
- Interactive games
Privately Held: Cinergy is privately owned by the Benson family, founders of Movie Tavern, the largest dine-in cinema chain in the U.S.
Owners:
Jeff & Jamie Benson, both CPAs with Big Four accounting experience at Deloitte.
Jeff Benson, CEO: A leader in the cinema exhibition industry and pioneer of the Cinema Entertainment Center (CEC) concept.
Track Record:
The Bensons have developed 19 theatre complexes, all of which are still operational, with none ever closing.
Cinergy was established in 2009 and is expected to continue growing in the future.
Expertise: The Bensons leveraged their deep operational knowledge of traditional cinemas and movie grills, along with a growing expertise in the amusement business, to create the Cinergy concept.
Funriders
facebook.com
- The leading innovator in the design, development, and production of Indoor Soft Play and Trampoline Parks in India.
- Leverages international quality and safety standards with clinical and customer insights to deliver optimal play area solutions.
- Recognized as a leader in Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) and Kids Amusement Park design and development in India.
Indoor Kids Amusement Parks (KAPS):
- First company in India to introduce the indoor concept of Kids Amusement Parks, catering to children of all ages all year round.
- Offers a comprehensive play, leisure, and amusement experience under one roof.
- Strives to introduce the latest and most innovative products and technologies as they reach the international market.
Product Offerings:
FUNRIDERS provides a world-class play environment by integrating:
- Indoor soft play structures
- Arcade game machines
- Bumper cars
- Adventure play areas
- Water rides
- Inflatable rides
- Outdoor playground equipment
Dave and Buster’s, Inc.
globenewswire.com
- Dave & Buster’s combines a full-service restaurant with an entertainment center featuring arcade games and sports viewing.
- Caters to a diverse crowd, including families, friends, and corporate groups.
- Features a wide range of games from classic arcade to modern interactive games.
- Offers a menu with a variety of American cuisine, including appetizers, entrees, and signature drinks.
- Hosts corporate events, birthday parties, and group gatherings with tailored packages.
- Operates across the U.S. and Canada, creating a vibrant atmosphere for entertainment.
CEC Entertainment Concepts LP.
allevents.in
- CEC Entertainment operates the Chuck E. Cheese brand, providing family entertainment and dining experiences.
- Features a combination of arcade games, rides, animatronics, and food, primarily focusing on pizza and American cuisine.
- Caters to families, particularly children, by offering birthday party packages and special events.
- Chuck E. Cheese has multiple locations across the United States and internationally.
- Aims to create memorable experiences for guests through fun and engaging entertainment.
