A new mouse in town
Chuck E. Cheese’s owners happy to bring popular pizza parlor to Valley
The Big Cheese has come to town, and once again the Spokane Valley has a family friendly indoor entertainment zone and pizza parlor.
Chuck E. Cheese’s opened along Sprague Avenue just west of Sullivan Road on Feb. 9 – about a year after site plans first began and about nine months after the Valley lost Savage Land Pizza Parlor to fire, the area’s only other pizza serving indoor entertainment facility with slide tubes and video games.
Chuck E. Cheese’s co-owner Sam Thompson is delighted with the response to the arrival of his restaurant. It has been a long-awaited one for him, he said, because for more than a decade the company was concentrating on opening only corporate-owned facilities. It agreed to sell another franchise in 2007 and Thompson jumped at the opportunity.
“We’re here by popular demand,” he said, “and we wanted to expand our operation.”
Thompson owns the new restaurant and the north Spokane Chuck E. Cheese’s with his son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Linda Thompson. The elder Thompson purchased the already existing North Side franchise in 1990 after spending several years with the Dallas-based company opening restaurants across the country.
“It’s so gratifying to have people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for coming to the Valley,’ – I say thank you. It’s nice to be wanted.”
Thompson currently divides his attention between both restaurants and customers can often find him mingling with guests and handing out free tokens. He’s a cheerful gentleman who also noted that he recently got word that he will become a great-great-grandfather this year.
After a $4 million investment, the new Chuck E. Cheese’s opened with 12,300 square feet – about 1,000 square feet larger than the other, and comes complete with $345,000 worth of video games and rides.
In addition to the large game area, customers will find a toddler play space; a child-friendly area that includes rides and slide tubes; a showroom with a stage and televisions; and tables reserved for scheduled parties. Seating for other patrons is scattered throughout.
The new location employs about 75 people, including manager Kelly Hylton, who has been with the company for 25 years.
The Chuck E. Cheese’s company was founded in 1977 by Nolan Bushnell who also founded Atari and Pong. Today there are more than 500 Chuck E. Cheese’s across the country.