Where a Kid Can Be a Kid?
As some of you have read, I’m visiting my parents. Last night, we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and a little fun. While ordering our food, I noticed that they were serving alcohol. Then there is a sign that says something like, “Limit 2 drinks per adult.”
I looked at my mom and said, “Since when does Chuck E. Cheese sell beer? Our Chuck E. Cheese does not sell beer!” Tonight my mom said that she was watching the news and she saw that some cities are signing petitions to keep the beer out of Chuck E. Cheese restaurants. Places like Decatur, Alabama and Killeen, Texas have already fought and won to keep the beer out of their restaurants.
“Today, our mission is simple, bring families together in a wholesome environment for fun, games and kids.”
I am not trying to be a prude, but I have to wonder, why does alcohol need to be served in a children’s restaurant? The drinks are left on the tables while the parents and kids go off and play. It also seems like there is a good chance that these drinks could be consumed by minors. It looks as though they forgot to add booze to their list of entertainment opportunities.
Does your Chuck E. Cheese serve alcohol? Are you ok with alcohol being served or do you think this should be kept at the bars or at home? (Please be respectful to one another with your responses. :) )
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POSTED IN: odds and ends
24 opinions for Where a Kid Can Be a Kid?
Tami
Mar 26, 2008 at 9:10 pm
We never go to Chuckie Cheese. We go to Ghatti Town but I have to agree with you on this. If you are taking your children there for them, the focus should be on them not drinking. I admit that we go out and have a drink every now and then but if we go to a place for our kids we would not. We never drink when our kids are along. So I would definitely sign a petition to keep the alcohol out.
Melissa Dismukes
Mar 26, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I don’t see any problem with Chuck E. Cheese. In Texas, we have Gatti’s which have always carried alcohol. I can’t recall ever seeing or hearing about any problems involved with it. Serving alcohol is not an invitation for drunken and disorderly. People are responsible for their own actions and capable of restraint. As for minors drinking, no one should ever allow their children to be unattended. As a parent, it is my responsibility to watch my daughters and make sure they understand the dangers of drinking ANY drink that I have not given them.
Maria
Mar 26, 2008 at 9:38 pm
When I was a kid our Chuck E. Cheese sold beer… I think. I do think that the potential is there for the parents to walk off and a minor (and I mean teenagers, not six year olds) to consume, but overall, I have no problem with the establishment serving beer. For that matter, I think it helps for kids to see that it is not a big deal to have a drink with dinner.
Coral
Mar 26, 2008 at 11:09 pm
My parents never took us to Chuck E. Cheese (back then it was Showbiz!), so I did not realize they sold beer. I don’t think it belongs in a children’s place. However, I don’t think there should be a law in place to control it. It should be a company decision.
We just recently got Incredible Pizza Co. and it’s WONDERFUL. Very much a family atmosphere and started by a Christian. They have a dress code, (no inapprorpriate shirts, no baggy pants, etc.), rules of conduct, etc. And you can’t beat the all you can eat buffet. :)
Lisa5
Mar 27, 2008 at 7:01 am
I don’t have a problem with Chuck E cheese selling alcohol. I always have my kids parties there and my husband is one of many that buy and drink beer. There is a two drink minimum so that is a good thing. I wouldn’t want them to take away that option because there are alot of people that just want to relax and have a couple of drinks to unwind and watch the kids play.
Michelle M
Mar 27, 2008 at 7:12 am
I remember Chuck E. Cheese serving beer when I was a child, too. I never thought it was a big deal. They sell beer at amusement parks.
HickoryChick
Mar 27, 2008 at 8:08 am
Small world… hubby and I took our little girl to our local Chuck E Cheese last night, too. Ours in Bridgeville, PA serves beer and wine, too. I would prefer for Chuck E Cheese to *not* serve any alcohol, for many reasons.
About a month ago, we made our first trip to Chuck E Cheese. There was a man in line behind me, who I can only describe as low life. He was laughing and telling a story about the last time he brought his family… he was able to sneak in a 6 pack of Coors light and didn’t get caught with it until his last can. Nice lesson he’s teaching his kids… Who in the world (a) sneaks beer into a family restaurant, (b) sneaks beer into a place that SELLS beer, (c) jokes about said sneaking in front of his kids?!?!?!?!?
Karen
Mar 27, 2008 at 9:09 am
I would like to add some thoughts to this discussion:
1) Someone stated that the children should not be left unattended.
a) I do watch my children closely while they are there, but even though I was following them around, there were several times that they ran away from me and were out of site.
b) Chuck E. Cheese has someone standing by the door to stamp your hand so that no one can leave with your children. The whole point of this is to let the children roam. Watching them closely defeats the purpose of relaxing and letting them go.
2) Why do you need a drink to unwind?
3) I would not let my child run free in an amusement park that is for adults and children. I would let them run free in a children’s restaurant that is supposed to be designed and catered to children.
kellys
Mar 27, 2008 at 9:33 am
I have agree with Coral. As a rule, I dont want the government to tell me what I can and cant do where for the most part. There are some exceptions. But as far as restaurants go, I would much rather Chuck E Cheese decide on their own that beer isnt neccessary. I would also like there to be more non smoking restaurants. But once again, I think the decision should be made by the company, not legislated. My state is trying to pass a no smoking law for all restaurants. I personally choose to spend my money in the non smoking restaurants we currently have. That is how I make my voice be made. I tell the other restaurants that I would prefer to eat at a non smoking location and that I hope they will consider making their restaruant non smoking. But I do not want the government telling me that if I smoke, I cant go to certain restaurants. It is called free market. We just need to make our feelings known.
Karen
Mar 27, 2008 at 9:49 am
As far as I know, these petitions aren’t to get the government involved. They’re to show Chuck E. Cheese that the citizens of the town don’t want alcohol in the restaurant.
Maria
Mar 27, 2008 at 9:52 am
I know this wasn’t directed at me, but your question–
2) Why do you need a drink to unwind?
For me, the answer is I don’t need one to unwind, but I do enjoy having a drink with my dinner– a beer with pizza is second nature to me, and I do enjoy it. I don’t need it, but I like it.
Re: smoking– the problem I have with smoking is that your (general, not specific) smoking impacts my health directly. As such, I do go to non-smoking establishments, and free market and all, I hate that people think that their “need” to smoke should trump my “need” to eat.
Karen
Mar 27, 2008 at 10:27 am
Maria: I totally agree about the smoking. I listed it as my top pet peeve at my other blog.
http://littlefunlittlelearning.blogspot.com
Revka
Mar 27, 2008 at 1:03 pm
When I was growing up, my parents refused to take us to Chuck E. Cheese for this very reason. I have never yet entered a Chuck E. Cheese, and I am 30 and have three daughters of my own. :)
I completely agree with petitioning the company to quit serving drinks. This restaurant’s target market is kids and their families. I don’t think alcohol has any business in such a place.
Danelle Ice (Homemaker Barbi)
Mar 27, 2008 at 4:43 pm
We don’t have a Chuck E. Cheese in my town anymore, but there is one in the nearest town. I’m not sure if it serves alcohol, since we haven’t been there in a long time. I agree that the opportunity for it to be consumed by the wrong person when left on the tables is there. It shouldn’t be served at a kids’ restaurant anyway IMO!
Amanda
Mar 27, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Whether right or wrong, it is their choice to serve alcohol. If this bothers you, don’t take your family there. As parents we get to choose what our family is exposed to and what is acceptable for them; just as we would choose what they watch on television, or eat for dinner.
jessica
Mar 27, 2008 at 6:19 pm
i guess i don’t see the problem of serving beer or wine. As long as people keep their drinks away from kids, i think it’s fine. We served beer at my son’s first birthday party. i think it added an element of enjoyment for adults along with all the kids stuff. As long as people aren’t getting trashed, i don’t see the problem. There will always be people like the guy who snuck beers into Chuck E. Cheese that ruin it for the other moderate drinkers out there.
Lisa5
Mar 28, 2008 at 7:21 am
I said “unwind” because that is what my husband calls it. I don’t see anything wrong with it either. I am not a drinker but my husband is. I agree with the person that said, “if you don’t like it, don’t bring your child/children there.”
It does say “2 drink minimum”. If you try to buy moe then 2, they will tell you, “you already had the limit required per person” and my husband only buys 2 anyway. What is the big deal? Aren’t we all adults here? We make our own decisions.
Karen
Mar 28, 2008 at 7:33 am
Lisa5: I don’t consume alcohol, so I don’t understand why others need alcohol to calm themselves or unwind. My question was not meant as an attack on you. It was simply meant as something to think about or for more discussion.
As far as the “if you don’t like it, don’t bring your children there”, that’s what many people are doing. I just recently read an article about Chuck E. Cheese sales dropping, so I have to wonder if it’s from them serving alcohol.
We can make our own decisions to drink or not to drink. I just don’t think it should be done in a children’s restaurant. I expect there to be drinking and smoking if I take my children to a pub to eat. When I take my children to a children’s restaurant, I expect it to be smoke free, alcohol free, and free of cursing.
Maria
Mar 28, 2008 at 7:53 am
Re: declining sales– There are probably a lot of contributing factors– a down turn in the economy, less disposable income, etc. I don’t go there due to the crappy quality of the food. I generally avoid feeding my son (and myself) “junk” and that is what they serve.
Re: “winding down” — some people have a beer, some run a few miles, some watch tv… I don’t think any one of these is better or worse than the others.
Perhaps the problem with the beer is a societal one? No one complains about McDs serving beer in Europe… or people having a beer in the park… Just some additional food for thought…
Karen
Mar 28, 2008 at 7:59 am
Maria: I’m sure there are many contributing factors to the declining sales. I just read something about the Chucky here (in my parent’s town) having 500 signatures on the petition. I was shocked by that number, given that alcohol is widely consumed in this town.
Maria
Mar 28, 2008 at 8:08 am
Karen: I’m not sure the size of the town, so I’m not sure if 500 is a lot. Can you give us an idea? (not the name of the town, but the size) In Tulsa (where I live), for example, 500 would be a small drop in the bucket. In my hometown, 500 would be almost 25% of the total population!
BTW– I’m not trying to argue people’s opinions– just that the situation is complicated and each issue has many sides and contributing factors. Some of the “stuff” I point out, I don’t even agree with. LOL! Oh, and– I love that everyone on here has been able to separate the issue from opinion/emotion!
Karen
Mar 28, 2008 at 11:47 am
Maria: My parents live in a military town and the population (I would guess) is 100,000-120,000. However, many of them are very young and single military men and women. I grew up here and I’ve seen more adult entertainment places then I’d care to see, and I’ve heard many stories of hotels being trashed on the weekend by those that left the military base to party.
Given the population, I think 500 is a large amount on a petition. It was just on the news this week, so I think that the petition has recently been started.
Susan
Mar 28, 2008 at 3:35 pm
We’ve been to CEC and Gattitown a fair deal. Haven’t seen either of them selling beer here. But then again, it was only recently that stores could apply to sell beer on Sundays here.
But beer at a kids place? That’s just WRONG.
Jane
Nov 10, 2008 at 11:08 pm
It has been close to 15 years since I have been in a CEC. I didn’t realize that they served beer untill the 18 year single Mom I was with was hit upon by a drunk patron. He was holding his beer in one hand and trying to get cozy with the other. Now I ask you do you think she is heading back with her 18mth old any time soon? This is an establishment for children. Parents and children need to feel safe. I’m glad my children are grown. Maybe it will change by the time I have grandchildren.
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