For fellow parents you know the fear that follows "Mommy can we go to Chuck E Cheese's?". You wonder will it be clean, how about unsupervised children running around, is the food even edible?! But believe it or not Silverdale Chuck E Cheese's is doing it right.
I am one of those parents who refuse to go to CEC on a weekend. I can't stand the noise or crowds. So we go when they open on a Monday/Tuesday to avoid both. It is very clean and the staff is super friendly. While it is smaller than some of the other CECs, all the games/rides worked while we visited.
The food- Try to get a combo with your tokens, you save money and it is pretty well worth it. The pizza wasn't great, but my kids ate it. I wasn't sure what tasted off about it, but it just was gross to me. I will stick to the salad bar which was plentiful and fresh!
The games- They all worked and if anything did happen to eat a coin, the staff was quick to replace the coin and look at the machine. They don't have a ton of machines though and if you are a fan of winning lots of tickets, it won't happen here. Some of the other stores have more ticket winning machines and these ones you were lucky to get 7-10 tickets even with high scores. You are better of buying the toys at the trade in than trying to win them with tickets. But if you are like me you don't go to buy a toy, you go for the kids and their fun.
Safety-Back in the old days CEC was kind of shady. It wasn't somewhere as a parent I would feel safe to bring my kids. Today though safety is of huge concern and they do a lot to make parents and children feel safe. As you go in your children and you are stamped with a number code in blacklight glow ink. You can't see it until it is under a blacklight which they check on the way out to make sure you aren't leaving with anyone you shouldn't. This is GREAT. They also have an abundance of cameras which also makes you feel a bit more secure. But NOTHING can replace an alert parent, so please remember to at least check on your kids now and then. I will be the first to admit, I bring a book and get comfortable. But I also only give out two-five tokens at a time insuring my kids have to come back every few minutes so I can make sure they are following rules like not running, being friendly, taking turns and not yelling or being loud.
I will go here again and again, as often as my sanity will permit that is. We brought along grandma who was amazed at how different they are. Anyone who walked in the old CEC on Tacoma Mall Blvd, this is NOTHING like those old days. read more