Parents, Please Stop Fighting At Chuck E. Cheese's
Sure, bar fights may be a classic, but it looks like family-friendly Chuck E. Cheese's may be the next place for patrons to vent their frustration.
ABC Nightline reported that the pizza-Skee-Ball-Skytube venues are not only prime spots to waste tons of money racking up hundreds of tickets for useless prizes, but also for parents to get in fights over their kids.
A Pennsylvania Chuck E. Cheese outpost reportedly called local authories more than 17 times in 18 months, starting in 2009 a police chief told ABC Nightline.
"A couple of problems we were able to diagnose," police chief Robert Martin told Nightline. "It got crowded, and kids would run into each other or fight over games, which would lead to parents getting involved in fights."
Type "Chuck E. Cheese fight" in YouTube and you get 231 results. Nightline found that some instances included divorced parents and extended families coming to blows, while another woman fell to the floor and was "kicked again and again in the head" by an "infuriated" mother because her kids were taking a while in the photo booth.
Chuck E. Cheese has smartly responded, with a statement fessing up to the mess. "Despite our efforts, unfortunately altercations occur with a very small percentage of those who visit Chuck E. Cheese's. And like kids' soccer and baseball games across our country, typically the incidents are not with the kids — but regrettably the parents," the company wrote. "For us, even one altercation is too many. Maintaining a wholesome, safe experience that sets a standard across our more than 550 locations is of utmost importance to Chuck E. Cheese's, and we will never stop working to improve how we operate our business."
But really guys, let's keep it classy at the next Chuck E. Cheese gathering. Watching Mom get in a fight with another lady is a terrifying birthday memory that may cost tons in therapy. These incidents may even be worse than the parents who accidentally left their kid at Chuck E. Cheese.