Chris was absolutely amazing throughout the entire event. He was constantly checking in to see if we needed anything and made sure the water, soda, and juices were always refilled on time. He also served the pizza and cake with a pleasant smile and great attitude. We truly enjoyed our experience here and would highly recommend this place to anyone. We hosted our daughter's 6-year-old birthday party, and all the kids had an incredible time. Honestly, they didn't even want to leave at the end of the day--they wanted to stay longer! Thank you for such a wonderful experience. read more

The kids had school off so I looked around for things to do so they weren't stuck at home. I saw this place and went for it! I did do some research first, luckily, but also... they aren't that much of a stickler for certain rules. Do remember to sign the waiver online ahead of time. It'll save you time - especially if there's a line. Also: don't forget socks or you'll have to pay for a pair of theirs. Seeing as school was out, I made sure to get there as soon as it opened. As it was, I got there 10 minutes before they opened... and I was not the only parent who decided to do that. There were already 4 other cars parked and waiting. Doors were open a little before opening time but no matter the amount of people in the waiting area, the lady would not begin checking people in until opening time. It lead to a lot of awkward eye contact where she started puttering uselessly about until it was 10 am. My family was clearly new because others knew what to do. You get a bucket/basket and put your shoes/jacket in first. There are no shoes allowed inside the play area. You can bring your own bag/backpack in but - supposedly - you cannot eat outside food inside unless it's food you purchased from them (they offer snacks along the junk food vein, beverages, and I spotted cotton candy). You can eat it in the waiting area or leave for meals. You can return anytime as long as you show the receipt, which I thought wasn't too bad (it's about $22.50 per kid and 2 adults free per kid). They also sell a "stamp card" of 10 plays that was a pretty good deal compared to the $22 each time per kid, but since I wasn't sure how it would go, I didn't want to commit quite yet. I did opt for a play card... they have games, claw machines (play until you win), and cars there that use it. First off: there are loads of tables. A huge amount. I unfortunately didn't take pictures that didn't include my kids, so maybe next time. The place quickly filled up to the point where I thought it was getting to too many kids and the tables still weren't half full. There's a huge play area in the back as well as a toddler/baby section towards the front. My kids, ages 8 and 4, had an absolute blast there. They both stayed in the back. My youngest did think some parts of it were scary and depending on the other kids... just hope they aren't too rowdy or the younger ones may not like it as much. We ended up staying for almost 3 hours, which impressed me. Some notes: - Service is SLOW. There was only one person working there for at least an hour until I finally saw another employee, who mainly focused on making sure the kids were following the rules. - I saw another parent pull out a bag of chips and munch on them within 5 minutes of claiming her table. - The place actually appeared clean. I wouldn't bet on someone coming in a swabbing everything to put under a microscope, but at least it looked clean. Definitely wash your hands before eating regardless. - Based on this visit, I can see it easily getting overly crowded ... especially if there was a party going on. There was no birthday party on the day we went. I do not know if they will control the amount of people entering but I doubt it. Not if they don't already have timed entrances in place. I actually think I would return again but only if we can do it as soon as they open. We don't like crowds. My eldest loved it. My youngest enjoyed it a lot but some might be better for him in a year or so (there are some areas he refused to explore in the back play area) before he's completely okay with everything. They enjoyed the games on the side as well! Perfect to get all their energy out for an entire day, if you end up making it back the same day before they close. read more

Great experience at my nephews birthday party London did a great job helping us with everything

This place is small and it hosts a lot of birthday parties. Fill out the waiver before you get there. 7 employees up front and only 1 checking people in. Customer service is def lacking. Bring your own socks. They make you wear them and will charge you $5 for a pair. $22.50 for one child admission and that includes 2 parents for free. For what it is I guess it's ok. I only want my 7 year old son to expel his energy. read more

Kids Empire Watchung - Recreation Centers Near Me - Watchung, New Jersey

Kids Empire is such a wonderful place for children to play and have fun. The environment is clean, safe, and full of activities that keep kids entertained for hours. The staff is friendly, attentive, and always welcoming, which makes the experience even better for parents. My baby had an amazing time and did not want to leave. It is a great place for families, and we will definitely be coming back again. read more

We had a party and the hostess was the best! Would come back and recommend. Thanks London

Very good venue for birthday parties. Chris was also super attentive. Kids had great time.

Always a good place for kids to play. My kids always wants to come back. Keeps them busy for a couple of hours.

Such a fun spot for kids! We took our little ones here and they had an absolute blast. The play areas are clean, well-maintained, and there's a great mix of activities for different ages so everyone stays entertained (and tired in the best way ). Huge shoutout to Shakira and Chria, they were both incredibly kind, patient, and attentive. You can tell they genuinely care about the kids and about creating a positive experience for families. They helped us get settled, answered our questions, and were great with the kids the whole time. It's also nice as a parent to feel comfortable letting your kids run around knowing the staff is on top of things. We'll definitely be back and would recommend this place to anyone looking for a safe, fun indoor play spot! read more

Staff (Chris) was very good however the wait time for check in was way too long, Very short staffed - need better schedule management. read more

Chris was fabulous!!!!! Thank you!! Our daughter had a great time celebrating her 7th birthday!!!!

Crowded and loud. Didn't seem clean. They let too many kids in there so you lose your kid and it can get kinda dangerous. If you do go, bring your computer or something to pass time. read more

Awesome time! Week day not too busy if you're worried to bring little ones. My two year old was able to roam freely.

Today was my daughter's 4th birthday, we haven't had a full party for her until this year and I was alittle nervous on how it would play out. I booked the party online, they have all sorts of options for cakes, pizza, lunch boxes etc. All in all, today's party was an amazing experience. We have our own Kids Empire Party Host Chris through out the party, he was always attentive, considerate, and flexible with our needs throughout the time. I would highly recommend booking a party with Kids Empire they are affordable and a good time for the kids and the parents alike. read more

Chris did a good job assisting the party and everything was on time and neat. I would definitely recommend

Keeps kids busy and all day pass till 10pm on weekends. Place is big enough to accommodate both birthday parties and individuals.

Anette was our birthday party host for around 30 kids on a Saturday afternoon. The place was packed with three parties, but she was there whenever we needed something. The staff were great and very patient. If you want to have a relatively stress_free party, have some patience and enjoy a fun party. The kids had an awesome time and the parents did too. We brought food and paid the $5 per kid and it was worth it. We also ordered pizzas and they were great because some of the kids ate double what they usually eat. Excellent party overall! Thank you, Kids Empire! read more

We celebrated my son's 6th birthday last weekend (end of September). The experience could of been better. When we booked we were told that the number of guest could be updated on the day of the party. However, they never told us we could only up the guest list not reduce it. As a result, we ended up paying for 2 extra kids and 4 adults that were no shows. Second, during the booking process the event coordinator did not mention that there was only 1 play card for all the kids attending the party. Meaning, I was expected to go around and swipe the card for each child, insane. How is this even a business policy? As a result I ended up purchasing a play card for each card and loading it with some "flames" to ensure that each child had a turn (I could not keep up with 18 kids). Third, the quality of the food has gone down. The pizza for adults was cut into small child size portions. The staff argued about providing a second bottle of apple juice for the kids and wanted to give soda instead. We do not give soda to 5 and 6 year old kids; so that was a hard pass. The gummies were counted to one bag per present child. They did not even provide a gummy bag for the 2 extra kids they forced me to pay for. Mind you, we paid $40 per child. So, they earned and additional $80 dollars, why was it even an issue to provide the bags of gummies? Some goodie bags were incomplete; missing a softball. We were told that they ran out. No replacement was offered at all. Also, the facility does not have a professional manager on duty and instead it is run by inexperienced teenagers. The host took her 30 minute break during the middle of our son's birthday party. As a result, I had to ask random employees for assistance. This is the first time that I see a host take a break during a party that only last 3 hours. The scheduling of breaks was poorly done; Kid's Empire needs a trained professional manager. During the check in process the guest wasted their time completing waiver form in the kios . It did not sync or save the information. As a result, guest had to re-enter their information via personal cell phones. In addition, there were 4 motorcycles but only 1 worked ; the others were simply decoration. The equipment has not been well maintained (we had a party here 3 years ago). I would not do another party here. I regret it and wish I could do it all over again and choose one of Kid's Empire's competitors. The only reason I rated this place 2 starts is because I did not have to set up or clean up, that's it. I do not see Kid's Empire continuing to exist for much longer, looks like it is having financial issues. read more

We like kids empire a lot and are impressed with the long hours , great facility and ability to keep the kids partying !

Very clean and fun experience for the kids. The facility is maintained well and has a good vibe with music.

I love the website it looks like so much fun for children 3 years and up. Great for field trips for schools and churches

really nice place! Friendly staff and clean. A very fun time with big slides and a safe play area

Great party, very organized ! Place and party was very organized, and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Such a fun place for the little ones to play! My grandson is two and just loves it! He can't use all of the slides or features yet, and I have to play with him for safety, but up till age 8-10 would have a blast! read more

What a great place for kids!! I met Tahrae and he is an AMAZING person!!! He really helped us out! I highly recommend this place for kids. Everytime we go my kids come home exhausted and happy. read more

Very clean fun place for the kids! Love their staff specially Edward he was great as he helped us and was very kind! Highly recommend this place for fun time with your kids! read more

Kids Empire Watchung - Recreation Centers Near Me - Watchung, New Jersey

muy buena atención brindaron todos los del staff. los niños se divirtieron mucho y mi hija estuvo súper feliz 100% recomendado read more

I brought my daughter here for our cousin's 7th birthday party at 530P 1/07/23. The parking lot was crazy packed with most people going to the venue, mostly for parties but some for personal play time. There was no organization when entering. It was a little chaotic. I would have expected at least two people at the front directing people where to go and what to do. The person checking us in was not pleasant. She wasn't rude but you'd kind of expect a cheerful disposition at a kid's play place and there was none of that. The entire venue is a no shoe zone with the exception of the restrooms. You remove your shoes after checking in, before you enter the space. They only have one cushion to sit and take off your shoes. It's right in the middle of door to enter initially, and the gate to enter the play area. The set-up adds to the confusion and chaos. They provide you with containers to keep you shoes in at your table. Once we got in and went to the party tables, we set our stuff down and went to explore. My kid was a littler overwhelmed at first but after going in to play, she warmed up. They have a huge structure with slides, holes to climb into, up and down, and even a mini soccer play area. It goes all the way up to the ceiling. They have little bumper cars for racing, a toddler area for smaller children, and some arcade type games. I went in the structure a few times but it's not necessary to go inside with your child because it has netting so you can definitely keep an eye on your kid but definitely accompany smaller kids so they don't get knocked over by the older ones. For adults, it can be tiring but fun. I definitely got a work out running around after my Little and I'm not gonna lie, the slides are really fun. They also have a little dance room with blacklights, fun rotating lights and music. The room has no door so you can clearly see everyone inside and what's going on. The party packages are decent. The kid's meal package is $40/kid for 3 hours of dedicated tables, venue plates, cups, utensils, pizza (two slices per guest), unlimited beverages (juice/soda/water) and gummy bears, birthday cake, a bumper car ride per child guest, and goodie bags with swag. The birthday kid also gets a return pass to go back at a later date and a birthday parade with Huggy the dragon, the Kids Empire mascot. Adults that attent the parties are $15 each. You're also able to bring outside food which is nice. My cousin had sandwiches, cocktail patties, cheese, crackers and fruit for the adults to eat. They have a cheaper package for $30 ($10/adult) that only includes a snack instead of pizza and you're not able to bring your own food. The way they do the parties is probably the biggest appeal to this venue because they pretty much take care of everything. The downside is that they're very disorganized which is odd considering that the staff doesn't really have to do much. Once you're in, you're on your own. Grab a table and go have fun. No employees are in the huge structure. There are a few employees at the counter to assist with purchases, but literally, the staff does nothing when it comes to the parties. They bring out pizza when it's time but you serve the pizza yourself. They provide gloves to keep it all sanitary. If you need a refill of beverages, you ask and they'll give you more. When it's time for the birthday song, they'll bring out a cart with the goodie bags and cake on it and leave it at the table for you to serve and give out. That's it. There were a few missteps during the party. They brought out the wrong cake. It had another kids name on it. They didn't have any napkins. They ended up just giving us a roll of paper towels to use. One other thing I found odd was having to put your shoes on to use the bathroom but they'd say something to you if you wore your shoes by the tables. These are small things that definitely didn't ruin the event but are good to know so that you know what to expect. I would still host a party here because it would be super easy. Everything looked clean. They regularly vacuum the front area where you have to remove your shoes. The bathroom was clean. The structure seemed clean and they have hand sanitizer everywhere. Despite it being pretty packed, I felt safe because you're not on top of each other. Regular visit prices aren't too bad either. $20/child and up to two adults free per child. Each additional adult is $5. These prices are for an all day access with re-entry. They also have a $160 punchcard for 10 admissions with brings each visit price down to $16/child. You can't bring in outside food so you could bring your kid early, get lunch nearby and return if you wanted. Not a bad deal, especially knowing that your kid is going to knock right out when they get home because all that running around will the tire them for sure. I'm hoping there's one of these placed closer to us because I would love to look into a birthday party for my terror tot. read more

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Had a terrible experience. I attempted to pay at the front desk and was told to remove my shoes. I have been to this location at least 10 prior times and never had to do this. This was not the issue you though the issue was multiple customers before me had paid with their shoes on and I was apparently the only one obligated to take their shoes off prior to paying. The front desk employee was extremely rude and then brought over the manager. As i was asking for the procedure where this is stated for the shoes to be taken off the employee who initially wouldn't ring me up for not taking off my shoes rung up 2 other people all with their shoes on. They couldn't answer me on why they were allowing it for others but not myself. He also asked me "ARE YOU OKAY SIR" which made the situation even worse. The manager had to call another location to ask about the procedures this took 15 minutes. Then after all that time i was told i couldn't enter the facility. I then asked for the managers name as I was reaching out to corporate. She would not give it to me. Then she went and hid in the back until I made the inquiry online. I was called later by HR stating that they were incorrect and should have not let others in and followed policy for all customers. They said they would give me a pass for a day to any location. Which I still have not received. Terrible staffing and terrible experience. Would never go back to this location ever again! read more

The kids and adults had lots of fun. Early on Sunday was calm and not very crowded. Come here and watch your kids burn off that extra energy. read more

As others have said, there is no semblance of supervision or employee intervention. There are big kids and adults haphazardly charging around creating a very unsafe situation for smaller children. Surfaces are NOT cleaned, and structures feel unsafe. The place is "cash only". No cards, no Venmo, no Apple Pay. Pretty sure in this day and age we all know what that means. They also will not give you the proper amount of change. My change should have been $18.78. I was only given back $18. .78 cents isn't going to make of break me, but it was the principal. When I asked for it, I got an eye roll and a sigh. (Disclaimer, there was plenty of change that I could see in the till). I could go into more detail, but suffice to say, rude employees, questionable business practices, and an overall unenjoyable experience for both us and our daughter. read more

worst customer service. I tried to book a party on line and some error occurred multiple times and I could not complete. I called and selected "book a party" and they told me to book it on line. Why do you have an option in the phone to book a party ? only to tell me to book on line?? I said it does not work and they told me to restart the PC. I did and still not working. Then they told me to come in person. I did, book it there and paid but I did not get confirmation email. I waited there but it did not come and they told me the receipt should be enough. There is no time or day on the receipt so I called the next day to ask for a confirmation. they repeated the receipt is sufficient. I asked I need it because I may forget in 3 months (party is in December). they said someone will call you, but no one called for a week. today. I called back to ask for a confirmation email and now there is no party booked in December. So now I have to book again and pay again or go in person and show the receipt and ask them to book again. What if I trusted the person and waited with only the receipt and showed up in the party? no party booked and deposit wasted? this is unacceptable. read more

It was my first time visiting this place ever last week. I got there around 4:00 pm with my son and our friends two kids. The atmosphere is awesome. A lot of seating area to sit. The play place is nice. If you are taller than 4'11" just watch your head on the bars that lay low. Watch your step as there are multiple open holes. None of which show any indication to "watch your step" or "watch your head" or "be careful." Sure it's geared towards the you going but there were some big kids in there and as a precaution I followed me three year. I wouldn't feel comfortable not leaving his side as there were ruthless bigger kids. Will I go back? Yes, but most definitely not this location. Although, I didn't have to use the infant/toddler side of the section (as they call it you can only be there if you wear diapers) there were kids there ages 10+ in there playing around. A few times I had seen a girl come over and kick them out. But was unsuccessful so she told some other person who also was unsuccessful. They should definitely enforce that a little more. The person that checked me in was fast and friendly! During my stay there was a girl that looked like she wasn't happy to be working there. Though being in area where you work with kids. She just didn't look happy. She had a stank face. She seemed like the type of person that if you ask her for any help she'd roll her eyes and won't help you. I am going to assume that the owner was there as I remember hearing an interaction between him and an customer and he protects his employees which is awesome. However, to get loud in a play area with kids in uncalled for and unprofessional. read more

placed closed 2 days in a row and says open 365 days. Terrible customer service and terrible notice. read more

Warning! Warning! Warning! Do not go here with your kids! Terribly run! No Supervision! It's just a sh*t show! My kid was trampled by other older kids. Children were pushing other kids out of the way to get on the rides. There was literally no one around to supervise any of the dangerous rides. It was overcrowded and anyone working there had no clue what they were doing. read more

My two little peanuts really enjoyed! I liked they allow us reentry, so we could enjoy the place morning and afternoon!

Please don't bring your children here. This place clearly has such little concern for the safety of children that none of their staff, including their general manager, did not wear a mask. To think young children who unable to be vaccinated are around adults that so boldly choose not to wear a mask to protect their young customers. To the manager that worked on 10/10/21 you should be ashamed of yourself! read more

I have never ever bashed a business on fbyebut I feel this is more a warning to others than bashing. I had my sons birthday party today at Kids Empire in Watchung. It was by far the most stressful and disorganized party I've ever experienced. The whole point of me having it there was to be stress free and not have to do anything but have fun with my son. My guests and I were spoken to so rudely start to finish. So was the other party that was there at the same time. Check in was a nightmare. When it was time for cake they wouldn't bring the cake out because the employee in charge of our party had to have her 10 minute break. I waited 20+ minutes for her to take the break and when I went to ask a second time, she said she had to take her break. I did all the serving and cleaning up other than one person handing out pizza slices. At the end, some of my guests who hadn't been there before didn't realize they shouldn't put their shoes on until they are out of the table area and an employee reprimanded them. She could have told them respectfully. I was mortified. There is so much more. The worst of it all was the rudeness of every employee and the supervisor. I've gone to many birthday parties held at various play places and all have been wonderful. This place was not a good experience for us. I'm only glad that my son and his friends made the best of it and had fun. If you're looking for ease and getting what you pay for, I would look elsewhere. read more

I never write a review. I don't even consider this a review, I consider this a warning! Horrible party experience. No air conditioning even though it was over 90 degrees outside. No set-up when party supplies were dropped off the night before as asked. No Party Host at all. Table set up was done on our own. No supervision of the children older children were allowed in the area for children in diapers . ( I guess it is an At Risk Area) . Party attendees who had completed the waiver were not allowed in until the system was back up and running. Kids watching other children attending the same party play while they wait to join the fun... You get the idea . OMG read more

My 4 year old and his 5 year old buddy had a great time this past weekend. It wasn't very busy, which made things a little nicer, so they had extra room to be as wild as they liked. The parents were great, most kept eyes on their kids and even played with them in the play areas. I would definitely encourage the corporation to invest in more staff, there was only enough staff to handle checking in families, but not enough to monitor the play areas. I play with my kids so I didn't mind, but there are parents who don't or can't for whatever reason (I don't judge). Over all it was a great day, affordable and we will be back. read more